How Many Second Chances?
by PenelopeDavis
Summary: Wyatt finds out the truth about what he saw between Steffy and Bill that night at Spencer Publications. He rushes to tell Liam at his wedding to Hope. Now that Liam knows the truth, is there a second chance for him with Steffy. A future-fic based on what is going on right now on B&B and my predictions for what comes next.
1. Chapter 1

Steffy's POV

"Stop the wedding!" Wyatt shouts as her rushes down the aisle to where Liam and Hope stand stunned. And to think they thought I would be the one to ruin their happy day.

I sat comfortably, or at least as comfortably as I could given the situation, in my pew a few rows back.

Hope was certainly unhappy about my presence, but didn't object. In fact, she personally invited me. She was trying to be magnanimous I suppose. Either that or she was content to drive the knife in a little further about the fact that she had won. It was probable the latter. That and she didn't want to explain the bad blood between her and me, to my unborn child and her soon-to-be stepdaughter.

Still, she kept her gaze trained on me when the minister asked if anyone wanted to object, and had kept glancing at me throughout.

She was much to focussed on me to expect anything from Wyatt.

Not that I would've objected.

I'd said everything I needed to say to Liam and nothing that happened or didn't happen here today was going to change anything.

He had made his choice and I had made mine.

I was confident, and secure in my decision, he should be too.

Though, knowing Liam he probably wasn't.

And therein lied the problem.

He was never sure of what he wanted, or who he loved.

But I was certainly over it.

I watched silently as Wyatt ran to the altar, pulled Liam aside, much to Hope's annoyance, and spoke to him in hushed tones.

No doubt he was telling Liam how Bill had fooled him, orchestrating everything to incriminate me, and make Wyatt believe that we had carried on an affair.

When Liam's shocked eyes connected with mine in the audience, it was my cue to leave.

As quickly as I could in my long dress, and the weight of my stomach in front of me, I fled the Forrester Mansion, where we had once shared our happiest moments, and made my way back to my home.

There I would be safe from my stupid heart that was screaming all kinds of idiotic things.

Liam's POV

"What the hell are you doing?" I whispered in harsh tones at the altar.

"You can't get married. Not when you don't know the truth." He said.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's about Steffy." He said.

"Then I don't want to hear it. I'm in the middle of my wedding, Wyatt. You can tell me later."

"No, I can't. You need to know everything going into this marriage. I don't want you to have any regrets."

"I won't." I said.

"You might. Just listen to what I have to say, and if you still want to get married, then you can."

I glanced over at Hope, beautiful Hope who had been my light in one of the darkest times in my life, and I knew that nothing Wyatt or anybody else had to say could change my mind about this wedding.

"Fine." I said.

"Thank you. You have no idea what this means. I would feel guilty for the rest of my life. Liam, it's all my fault."

"What are you talking about?" I grabbed his shoulder, as he bowed his head.

"Remember a few weeks ago, when you were going to forgive Steffy, and I told you what I saw. It wasn't the truth." He said.

"You lied?" I asked

"No. I didn't. I did see them embracing each other, and the office did look like the aftermath of a romantic scene. That part was true. But I should've waited, I should have asked Steffy, I shouldn't have just told you, because it wasn't what it looked like."

"Wyatt, you're not making any sense."

"It was Bill. Steffy was telling the truth. She really did just come over to get the papers. He set the whole thing up. He had Justin make up his office for me to find. She never did anything wrong. They never had an affair. Bill made it all up."

I glanced over to Steffy, shocked at what he just said. She looked sad, and unsurprised. I thought back to that day when I went to see her, she pleaded with me, promised me nothing else was going on and I didn't believe her.

In a flash, she hurried from the mansion, and I glanced over at Hope. My beautiful bride to be, her long blonde hair flowing around her like a halo, and quickly muttering an apology ran down the aisle only to see Steffy's car speed away.

I got in the limo, the one meant to take me and Hope to our honeymoon.

"The Cliff House." I told the driver.

I hope she would forgive me, like I should've done her.

Hope will understand.

Steffy and I, we could be the family we always wanted.

Hope will understand.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A/N: This is for any STEAM fans who have been really upset over the way the writers have taken Liam and Steffy's story. I have accepted what I cannot change, so I decided to write what I think should happen next. I feel like the way every character keeps saying how much Bill wants Steffy and will do anything to get her is so 19th century. They're all acting like she doesn't have a choice b/c Bill always gets what he wants. It grates on my feminist side, so I wanted to write something to gives the choice back to Steffy b/c I feel like they've forgotten she gets one too. But maybe the choice she makes isn't obviously Liam, b/c he has been getting on my nerves a bit too.

This is still a STEAM fanfic, she's just going to give him a really hard time.

I do not own any of the characters, with the exception of the OC, who I've yet to come up with.

Steffy's POV

"What do you want, Liam?" I asked

His answer was to kiss me, and I hate to admit that I let him. I melted into it and kissed him back and it felt amazing in the moment. It felt like how it should've always been, me and Liam, in love and in each other's arm.

But it wasn't the same.

It was different and no matter how good the kiss was, it didn't fix anything.

I needed to be realistic.

He was two seconds away from getting married.

I hurt him.

I made a terrible mistake, that I can never forget, and that he will never let me forget.

He and Hope never let me forget how much I hurt him.

And then they hurt me.

He left me crying on the couch, in this room.

He walked away as I held on to his arm and cried for him to believe me.

And he just left.

He didn't even tell me he was getting married. I had to hear that from Hope, who couldn't be happier to share the news.

This kiss might have been beautiful, amazing and everything we used to be, but it wasn't who we were anymore.

And that sucked, but it was reality.

And we needed to face that, so I pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I don't know. I hadn't planned on it. I just wanted to talk to you, but then I saw you there and I couldn't stop thinking that…"

"That what, Liam?"

"That we were…"

"Robbed?" I laughed. "You really have been hanging around Hope too much."

I'd been on my feet too long and my ankles were starting to protest so I led him into my house and took a seat on the couch, preparing for what was going to be a really long conversation.

He took my face in his hands.

"But we were. Bill manipulated us. I had forgiven you, I was ready to give us a second chance. We would've been a family, if Bill hadn't—"

"No." I said, removing his hands from my face.

"What?"

"You never asked me." I said.

"I don't—what do you mean?" He looked genuinely perplexed and part of me felt for him, but he was going to take responsibility.

"You came over after you sent me the roses, and I told you everything, I told you the truth. We were going to start our life again with a blank slate. And it crushed me when you walked out, I didn't understand why you were so upset, because you didn't tell me. You never asked me. You just chose to believe what you heard. And before you say anything, I know what I did. I took responsibility for that, and I apologized so many times for that. But you never gave me a chance to tell you my side, I didn't even know there was another story out there. I hurt you, Liam, and then you hurt me. But we weren't robbed, and we weren't manipulated.

No one cared about my voice, about my choice. I told you I didn't want Bill, I told Bill I didn't want him, but no one listened. Bill did whatever he wanted. Wyatt didn't even think to ask me if what he saw was the truth, only after he had already done the damage did he think that maybe it wasn't the whole truth. None of you thought to ask me about a situation where only I could give you the truth. And yeah, Bill is at fault for his role in this, but none of this would have happened if you had asked."

I was crying, and I promised myself I wouldn't waste any more my tears on Liam.

But I lost again.

"I know and I'm sorry for that, but I love you Steffy, and I forgive you for everything with Bill. I want to be with you. It was always you." He took my hands in his, those eyes of his, those words so tempting, reeling me back in like every time before.

"Was it me 30 minutes ago when you were about to marry Hope? Or when you slept with her when we were still married? Or when you filed those annulment papers?" I said, removing my hands from his.

"I never stopped loving you, any of those times. I'll always love you. I've always loved you, Steffy. You know that." He said.

And I wanted to believe him. My heart, my mind, the life inside of me all yearned to be with him. I knew happiness when I was with him, each time. But I also knew pain, because he always left. He could never make up his mind. He always bounced between us, me and Hope, hurting us, leaving us, loving us, and we let him.

But I couldn't anymore.

"Do you remember what you said to me that day?" I asked, distancing myself by walking over to our picture frames that had yet to be removed.

"Uh, I um…"

"You said I would be a great mom, and we would be great parents. Our daughter would have all the love in the world from her two parents, but we didn't need to be together to do that."

"Steffy—" He tried, but I interrupted.

"Well, I agree. I will not raise my daughter the same way I was. You may want to be with me now, but I can't trust that. For most of our relationship, I have been the one that got in the way of the soulmates; the predestined relationship you have with Hope. I was the intruder, the imposter. I was the bad guy, and I took the brunt from Brooke, and Hope, and sometimes my own father. When we were together they were angry, when we weren't they were warning me to stay away. But I dealt with that, because you were worth everything. But every time something went wrong, there was a bump in the road, and excuse you could use, you ran back to hope. You literally just left her at the altar, Liam, do you even realize that?"

He shook his head. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"You never do, but you do. And maybe that's our fault for never telling you, but you hurt us. Your indecision hurts us, and I refuse to get involved with that again. It took a long time but I learned. My mother did it, I know what it feels like and I will not raise my daughter with a man who has one foot out the door."

He rose from the couch, closing the distance between us.

"This is what we've always wanted, a home for our family, to raise our child together." He said all the right things, playing me like a fine-tuned instrument, like he's always been able to.

"This home doesn't have a revolving door. And I may love you, but I don't trust you. No love can withstand the amount of second chances we've had. It's too much. You should go back to your wedding. Maybe Hope will forgive you? You have a future there."

It killed me to say, because I really did love him. And I saw a future with him, and we would be happy. Liam, my baby, and I, it would be perfect, until it wasn't anymore. Until he left us for Hope or whoever.

That's the part of our future I always tried not to think about, but I always saw it, the perfect image crumbling.

"So, you don't see a future with me anymore?" He asked, tears in his eyes, and it broke my heart.

"I see my future with a man who loves me and only me." I answered.

He nodded, and quickly made a break for the door, shoulders hunched in disappointment. I felt my own tears rush down too.

Because I wished so much it could be him.

But he loved us both, he was always really honest about that.

It made me wonder, how much did he really love either of us?

A/N: I'll try to update frequently. I know what it's like to read a fanfic that's in-progress, so I'll try not to do that. Please review. Feedback is always welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A/N:

This chapter is going to be hard on Liam again, so heads up if you are a Liam fan. I'm not really sure where I stand on him right now. All the female characters in the show who love him (Hope, Steffy, Ivy) all go on and on about what a good person and good man Liam is and in some respects that's true. His advocacy for animal rights, donating and raising awareness for charities, and giving voice to the less fortunate is really great, especially in the high society life that the show takes place in. But other than that, from what I've seen Liam is kind of wishy washy. He hurts a lot of people, constantly carries on emotional affairs (I mean he crucifies Steffy for sleeping with Bill (not condoning that btw) and then makes out with Hope about a billion times while he's still married, not to mention everything with Sally that kind of set everything in motion) and pretending to always be the victim of circumstance.

Just prepare yourselves, there may be some serious but well-deserved Liam bashing this chapter.

 **Liam's POV**

As the driver drove me back to the Forrester Mansion, I couldn't help but think about everything Steffy had said to me.

How long had she thought these things about me?

How long had she felt that way?

I always tried to be honest about the way I felt about her and Hope. I thought my honesty would limit their pain, but maybe it only served to limit mine.

All those years I spent with them in this constant triangle had tainted everything. There were at least as many happy moments with both Steffy and Hope as there were bad ones.

How do I justify that to Steffy?

How do I explain to Hope?

What would my daughter think?

Just the thought of someone doing to my child what I've done to Steffy and Hope, makes me want to scream.

Why did I think everything was okay all these years?

"We're here, sir." The driver called from the front and I braced myself for what was to come.

As I walked into the foyer of the mansion, the remnants of my wedding being cleaned up, a few remaining guests whispering in corners as I walked through.

This is what Steffy meant.

I cause destruction, even when I don't mean to. I hurt people, and I always have a way to justify it, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

Hope was nowhere to be seen in the disarray.

Walking over to the fireplace where Brooke and Ridge stood arguing; the destruction of their marriage was my fault as well.

They'd been struggling since I'd proposed to Hope. It was hard for Brooke to manage her happiness for her own daughter while her husband had been trying to console his.

Ridge had been upset with him for some time, and now Brooke was too.

But he hadn't expected the strike of her hand against his cheek.

At the crack of the sound, all mutterings and whispers stopped.

"How dare you?" She hissed.

"I'm so sorry, Brooke. I need to find Hope. I have to explain." I tried, but she shook her head.

"No. I used to think you were a great guy Liam. I wanted you for Hope, because you made her happy, but now I don't know. Because she's cried over you more than enough times, and frankly I'm tired of consoling her for you to come back and hurt her again. So, I need you to leave. Go back to Steffy."

"I suppose he's already been there." Ridge said. "I'm guessing she didn't give you the answers you wanted."

Brooke gasped. "And so what? You're coming back to my daughter as some sort of consolation prize?"

"Absolutely not." I said. "You both know how much I love your daughters. I would never think of either of them in such a way."

"Well, your actions say differently Liam." Ridge said.

"Well, I want to know what was so important that you ran out on my daughter." Brooke demanded.

I opened my mouth the answer, but Ridge spoke over me.

"Wyatt told him about how Bill played them." He stated, neither he or Brooke seeming too shocked by the news of Bill's manipulations.

"You knew?" I asked. "And you didn't say anything?"

Brooke sighed. "You were already engaged to Hope when Steffy found out. She decided she didn't want to tell you and by that time—"

"By that time Brooke was all too happy to keep quiet because her daughter was happy. I thought you should know, but Steffy was pretty clear. She didn't want you to know."

"So, she really has given up on me?" I asked, consumed by sadness that I'd forgotten my place.

"You could try not to look too disappointed. My daughter, your fiancé, is upstairs upset at what you've done to her, and all you can think of is Steffy." Brooke said, glaring at me.

"She hasn't given up on you." Ridge said. "At least I hope not. I suggest you take the advice I gave you when you before. As someone who has been here before, take some time to step back, without interference from Steffy or Hope, and figure out for yourself what it is that you want. You could save a lot of people a lot of pain that way."

He was right. I hadn't ever taken time to consider my own feelings. Hope had been there since I moved out, being supportive, but also reminding me about our past. I should've taken his advice back then, but I didn't.

As I looked at the awkward tension I had placed on his marriage with Brooke, I thought back to how sad Steffy looked at the Cliff House, and I prepared myself for how distraught Hope probably was in the rooms upstairs.

I saw the destruction I had caused, but nothing pained me more than the thought that Steffy had given up on me. That I had driven her to that.

I didn't need time. I had forgiven her for Bill all those weeks ago, and that was still true. We would be a family. This time I would fight for her.

"I want to be with Steffy. I want our family, our life together; it's my dream." Brooke sobbed, turning to Ridge who comforted her, though the joy was evident on his face. "I'm sorry Brooke, sorrier than you'll ever know for the pain I've cause Hope, and you. I love her, but our love has always been innocent and sweet, that of teenagers. It's easy and simple, but mostly it's safe, it's the love between friends. I turn to Hope because I know she won't hurt me and that's not fair to her or Steffy. Steffy is the love of my life. What we have is passionate, raw, and fun. Sometimes it's crazy and hard, but I'm also more myself and more complete with her than I have ever felt in my life. I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I want you to understand. With Steffy, it's like every breath I take is lighter, and I know that with our daughter, our life will be amazing. Now that I know it's possible again, I can't give that up."

I smiled through my tears, because even though I was happy that Steffy never betrayed me, I was going to hurt Hope, and even then Steffy still may not take me back.

"I don't think its us you need to explain that to." Ridge said, a mixture of joy and disappointment on his face. "You better pray that Hope understands."

I took the stairs slowly preparing myself for what awaited me in the room as I raised my hand and knocked lightly.

When there was no answer, I entered the room.

It was a mess. A hurricane had blown through the Forrester Mansion, and this room was the hardest hit.

Hope sat on the bed, her knees drawn to her chest, face stained with mascara streaks. She looked up at me, her eyes flashing before grabbing the land beside the bed and hurling it at me. I just barely managed to escape.

"Hope, I understand you're upset—" I tried.

She screamed, eyes flashing, before frantically looking around for something else to throw at me. Thankfully, nothing else was within her reach and she didn't seem to want to leave the bed.

"Upset? You think I'm upset, Liam! I am fucking furious. I keep embarrassing myself over you. You better have a very good reason for leaving like that." She shouted

"I'm sorry for this. For everything. Sorrier than you'll ever know." I said.

"I don't want apologies right now, Liam. I'm tired of your apologies. I want an explanation, and it better be a good one." She said.

"When I had chosen to forgive Steffy, Wyatt told me that she had been carrying on an affair with Bill. He said that he had seen the aftermath of a romantic get together, and when I asked her if there was anything else she needed to tell me, she said no."

"I know all that already. Steffy hurt you. She betrayed you in the worst possible way and left you in a way that I had never seen you in before. And then she compounded that pain by having a secret affair." She stated pointedly.

"But that wasn't true. Bill had Justin set it up for Wyatt to see. That's what he told me at the wedding." I finished lamely, and it seemed to fuel Hope's fire.

"So, what you're saying to me, is that you left me at the altar to what exactly? Go talk to your ex-wife. To reconcile with her? How could you? You left me there, standing there, waiting for you, like a fool! All our friends, family, people I work with, don't you even care how that looked? How that felt?" She shouted.

"I wasn't thinking." I tried and failed to explain. "I didn't want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you. But I don't want to lie to you. When I left, I just wanted to get to the truth with Steffy. If I'm being honest, it hurt when she stopped fighting for us and our marriage. When she seemed to just accept our engagement, it stung. I never pretended that it didn't. I wanted to apologize to her and to let her know that I trusted her."

"Now." She muttered.

"What?"

"You trust her now. You didn't back then, and why should you have? She can't be trusted. She is incapable of doing what is best for you; always has been, always will be."

I tried to object, but she kept talking.

"But that doesn't matter to you, does it? You just had to explain all this to her in the middle of our wedding? Why not after? She wasn't going anywhere. You could have told her all that after we were happily married, and started our lives together, but you didn't want that, did you? You wanted to be free and uncommitted when you spoke to her, right?" She asked, fresh tears coating her cheeks once again.

I remained silent.

"Right?!" She yelled.

"If there was a chance that she would forgive me, then—"

"Then, you would want to get back together with her. You always do, no matter how many times she hurts you or how many times she betrays you or manipulates us. You need her in you life for whatever reason. And I'm always your second choice. I mean, why not? I'm always here right?"

I felt the need to walk over and hold her, but I wouldn't be welcome. That much I was certain of, even with the shock of what she said.

Because Steffy had said something very similar, about being the outsider, the second choice, the one in the way of fate.

How had I been completely obliviously to the way I was making them both feel?

"It's not like that. It's never been that way. I love you. I always have." I tried.

"Not enough. Not as much as you love Steffy. Because you chose her, before you were duped by Bill, you had chosen her. And when that fell apart, I was all to willing to throw myself at you." She laughed. "What kind of self-respecting woman agrees to be with you on the heels of not being chosen by you? It's really like I do this to myself."

"No, you don't. You are a strong, beautiful, brilliant woman and you have always been there for me." I tried to rid of the self-doubt that I had instilled, but it landed on deaf ears.

"Just go, Liam. You're right. I have always been there for you. That's why I know you so well. I know what it is you want to do. You don't have to try to make false apologies or half-hearted explanations. You always want her in your life. Even when I hated it, even when it tore us apart, you needed her in your life. And now with the baby, I don't know why I even bothered." She shook her head.

"I do need her, Hope. But I've always needed you in my life too. You're a large part of my life, Hope. I'm not going to ask for it now, but I hope eventually, you'll forgive me."

It felt unfinished and half-assed; my apology.

But I didn't know what else to say.

I desperately wanted to comfort her, but she had glared at me from the moment I had entered, and I knew my touch wouldn't be tolerated.

"Just go, Liam. Go to Steffy. We both know that's where you want to be." She said, turning away from me. She looked so fragile, laying there, curled up in her wedding dress. It killed me, being the cause of her pain, but even more so because I couldn't justify imploding her life if Steffy didn't forgive me.

A/N: So, there you have it. I hope you liked it and that I wasn't too hard on Liam for some of you. I am not really a fan of Hope, but I tried to write her pain as honestly as I could. As always review! If you are a Hope fan, I don't know I hope this wasn't too bad, but obviously Steffy and Liam are the endgame for this story, so she was going to get hurt. She's not going to be in this story too much I think. I'm going to try not to paint her as the villain too much.

Also, a quick update. I have stopped watching B&B. I usually take breaks when the story starts to annoy me, and this story arc obviously has. Everything I write will be based on what has previously aired, and my own future AU. This story will not follow any of the future episodes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A/N: Hi! I feel like I do one of these super long notes each chapter. I'm sorry, it's my first fan fiction so bear with me. Once again, thanks for reading; if you like it please review.

Anyway, I let the ball drop a little on the timeline on certain things in this story so to clarify: this story takes place 2 months after the episode where Liam almost forgives Steffy (the one with all the white roses). Their split happened when he found the paternity papers, I don't remember how long ago that was but I'm going to have it be 4-5 months in the story. As far as Steffy's pregnancy, I would put her at around 7 months pregnant at this point in the story.

 **Steffy's POV**

I dreaded going back to work for many reasons.

The first; everyone tiptoed around me, asking me if I was okay, if I needed to sit, or take a break, put my feet up. They seem to have forgotten that I am the badass CEO of Forrester Creations, and I can totally take care of myself.

The second; Hope and Liam. When I was trying to save my marriage, I loved running into Liam at work; so much so that it didn't bother me too much that Hope had her own reasons for Liam being there. Before the wedding this weekend, I was terrified to come back to work. I didn't have to imagine what it would be like to work with Hope while she and Liam were together, I done it before. But I wouldn't have been able to handle knowing Hope's absence from work was because they were blissfully tucked away on their honeymoon. I couldn't have watched her come back to work with that newlywed, happily in love glow. Not without putting my fist through a wall.

The third reason, however, was perhaps the scariest. It was the what ifs. What if Liam and Hope hadn't reconciled at the wedding? What if he meant what he had said at the Cliff House? What if he planned to fight for us; for me and little bean? What if I wasn't strong enough to hold out? It was terrifying because he was tied, through contractual obligation to the HFTF line, and that meant that I would have to see him in meetings or just walking through the building. I didn't necessarily want him to be on a honeymoon, but I needed him to be thousands of miles away, at least for a little while.

As I entered my office at Forrester, I prayed that maybe Hope and Liam wouldn't be in today.

I needed an extra day to decompress. The entire situation was becoming too stressful and borderline unhealthy for me and bean.

"Steffy, your 11 0' clock is here." Pam said.

Quickly skimming through my appointments to find the identity of my 11 o' clock; a photographer I had scouted for a new project I was soon to announce. He was definitely talented, and a great catch, professionally, of course, though I had needed to remind him a few times at previous meetings.

"Send him in." I called.

"Steffy." He sighed, dramatically, "A vision of timeless beauty, if I haven't said so already."

He walked over to my desk, taking my outstretched hand and instead of shaking it, brought it up to his lips.

"You have." I said sternly, taking back my hand. "Cameron Hart, always the charmer."

"I try." He smirked.

Cameron Hart was a flirt, but it was easy for him to be. He was gorgeous. With his blond hair, sparkling grey eyes, and strong jaw perpetually covered in scruff, many people commented that he should be on the opposite side of the camera lens.

"Yes," I laughed. "You do. Of course, you're going to have to keep that on lock around the models here. I can't have them all heartbroken over you."

"You know I only have eyes for you, Steffy." He said, raising the ever-present camera around his neck and taking my picture.

"Cameron, we talked about this." I groaned.

"What?" He asked, innocently. "I have a duty to capture the beauty of the universe."

"Cameron, I'm—" I stopped myself, because my usual refrain didn't apply anymore. I wasn't married anymore. To be completely honest, it was nice to be looked at and treated like something other than a burden, but it didn't mean I was ready to entertain the possibility of a relationship with anyone else. I couldn't say that, though. I couldn't say 'Hey Cameron, you unbelievably attractive and fun to be around and you make me feel good—which has been hard to do the last couple weeks—but I'm not over my idiot ex and I'd rather wallow than entertain your advances'.

Instead, I said, "I'm pregnant."

To which he replied with a simple, "I know. All the more reason to come to dinner with me. I hear babies like food."

I laughed. I thought for a guy like Cameron, dating a pregnant woman wouldn't be very high on his list.

"Let's try to keep things professional, huh?" I said.

"For now." He said.

"Anyway, it's a new project for Forrester, a line that I have designed and have been overseen myself. You'll be working closely with me so get the flirting in check. It is called Steffy's Girl."

He chuckled. "Nice play on Jesse's Girl."

"Thanks. I was hoping you'd catch that. Anyway, it's a maternity and accompanying baby wear line. Couture for mom and baby, obviously I'm a little annoyed it hadn't already been designed so I could wear it."

"Always ahead of the curve, aren't you?" He smiled.

"Yeah, I haven't come up with a name for the accompanying baby boy line, so I guess we'll brainstorm that together. Right now, you'll be photographing the models with the samples, and some of the other lines as well."

"Are you modelling?" He asked.

"Some." I said. When he grinned, I rolled my eyes. "Don't get any ideas, Cam. You're here to work."

"Of course." He agreed.

I led him to the door, where he pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.

"Go be trouble somewhere else Cameron." I glared.

He swaggered off, bumping into Liam on his way.

"Is he bothering you?" Liam asked.

"No, he's fine." I said. "What are you doing here?"

I asked quickly retreating behind my desk to put some distance between us. Liam shut the door behind him giving us some privacy from Pam's spying.

"I work here." He said, shrugging.

"Hope didn't come in today. I didn't think you would either." I said.

"Hope was upset. She needed some time away from me." He said.

I wasn't surprised. I guess she hadn't been too forgiving.

"Is there something you needed, then?" I asked, trying to keep our conversation short.

"I would like for you to talk to me." He said, as he approached the desk, the only distance between us was the few feet of wood.

"I don't know what you want me to say." I said honestly.

He nodded.

"Okay, then I'll talk. I'm going to fight for you and our family. Even if you've given up on us, I haven't." He said, determined.

"Liam, I would prefer if we kept things professional at work."

"You can push me away as long as you want. I won't give up. I love you and I promise, we will be a family again before little bean is born. When we bring her home, we'll do it together."

"Please stop." I cried. "It's not going to work. Your sweet words don't sway me anymore. I can't do this with you anymore. There's more on the line than just my heart this time."

At my tears, Liam lost all sense of professionalism, crossing over to my side of the desk, taking my face in his hands and peppering kisses over my tears.

"I promise it's not just words. I mean everything I say." He said.

"You always do. It doesn't change anything." I told him.

"I want to work on us and our relationship. I'll do whatever it takes for you to trust me again." He pulled out a card from his pocket. "I called a marriage counsellor. She's agreed to see us."

I shook my head. "We're not married."

"I know, but I hope we will be again one day."

I shook my head, pushing him away.

"No. I need you to leave." I cried. "Please leave, Hope's not here, HFTF meetings have been pushed. You don't need to be here, so go."

"I mean it. I'm going to fight for you." He promised, staying put.

"If you really love me, then you'll leave. Just leave my office. You don't even have to leave the building, but if you care about me at all, you'll give me space."

It was a cheap shot, I knew it was, but I said it anyway. He took a step back at my plea. I knew I'd hurt him, but I couldn't bring myself to care about that right now. I just needed some time and space. Just a day. After today, I might be okay to see him and deal with him.

He placed the card on my desk.

It read: Dr. Marsh, Ph.D. Social Psychology, Certified Marriage Counsellor.

"I made an appointment for tomorrow at 6. Please come." He said, as he left.

I picked up the card, wondering how this doctor could help us if we couldn't even help ourselves.

It was 6:15 when I knocked on Dr. Marsh's door.

I'd sat in my car for the last half hour cutting in the engine on and off. I'm pretty sure I broke it.

So, I took a different approach. I was going to do this band-aid style. I'd do it once, and quick and be done with it; no point in dragging out the pain.

And if Liam was as serious about this as he claimed to be, being a no show for this meeting would mean a heck of a lot of hounding from him in the future.

The sooner we dealt with our issues, the better our relationship would be when our daughter was born.

Our _platonic_ relationship.

That's what I would do. I would walk into her office and make what I wanted clear.

A nice, amicable, platonic relationship with the father of my child.

And maybe if I said it enough, it would stick.

The door opened, and I walked into a very serene office space. Liam sat on a large comfy looking couch, and Dr. Marsh sat in a lone armchair across a coffee table. The office was decorated with tall leafy plants; it felt like a high-end spa more than it did a doctor's office.

"Hi, Steffy. I'm glad you could make it." She said, getting up to greet me.

I nodded as she led me over to the couch. Liam stood, hugging me for just a minute too long, before helping me sit. The urge to slap his hand away was strong. I was getting heavier, but I could sit by myself, and when he did things like that it confused me.

Dr. Marsh watched our interaction closely, before scribbling something on a notepad she kept on her lap.

"What was that?" I asked quickly, before Liam even had a chance to sit or notice her blatant observation.

"I keep notes throughout my sessions, just on things I notice about the couple. If it is something I think the couple do well, something they need to work on, things like that." She said, her voice quiet, soothing; much like the ambience of her office.

Dr. Marsh herself looked a lot like my grandma, Stephanie. She was a little past her prime, with long white hair, and a face that still demanded your attention. She could be intimidating to some, but I'd grown most of my life with Stephanie, so she didn't scare me.

"And what was that? Something we do well or something we need to work on?" I questioned.

"That was just an observation." She answered.

"Well, I'm sure Liam filled you in on our situation, or you've at least read about us in the tabloids. I'm guessing you know why we're here." I said.

I glanced at Liam briefly, before turning my attention back to Dr. Marsh in time to see her write something else on that little notepad.

That was going to get annoying really quick.

"Actually no. Liam and I sat in silence while we were waiting." She said. I glanced at Liam, only to find him already staring at me. "I have a lot of high profile clients, so I try not to indulge in the tabloids. They don't always tell the whole truth." She said.

"No, they don't." Liam muttered, and I tensed, bracing for the distance or judgement that would soon follow as it usually did when he thought of Spencer Publications, but none came. There was only silence and the scratching sound of pen on paper.

"Okay, then I guess we should start." I said.

Liam nodded.

"And where would you like to start?" Dr. Marsh asked.

The question stayed suspended in the air, both me and Liam refusing to answer first.

I stared at Liam, expecting him to answer. This was his idea, his eyes seemed eager to participate and learn and fix us, but he just smiled at me.

"Okay then, let's try something different then. Liam, why don't you tell me what it is you think Steffy wants from you, and vice versa." She said.

Liam cleared his throat, rubbing his hands together. "I want—"

"No." Dr. Marsh interrupted. "What do you think Steffy wants?"

He sighed.

"Steffy used to want to save our marriage, but I didn't, and now that we're here, I think Steffy wants us to be together, but more than anything she wants a stable home for our daughter and she doesn't think that I can do that." His eyes caressed every part of my face as if he hadn't already committed them to memory and when his eyes finally landed on mine, they held so much hope that I looked away.

Dr. Marsh stared at me pointedly.

"Liam wants to pretend the last 4 months didn't happen. He wants us to get back together and be the family we always wanted." I said quietly.

"No, I don't want to pretend—" Liam started.

"May I interject, I want to keep this environment as positive as I can. First, congratulations on your pregnancy." She smiled. We all did. The mood was lighter. "But I have some rules. I will interrupt anytime I feel like we're falling into unproductive conversation. That being said, please feel free to say whatever is on your mind, but I would like to limit deflections and protests. I would like you to start sentences with 'I feel'; so, no protests as to not discount your partner's feelings. That being said, Liam continue what you were going to say, beginning with 'I feel'".

"I feel that I want to acknowledge everything we went through and find a way to move forward." He said.

"And Steffy, what is it that you feel?" Dr. Marsh turned her gaze to me.

"I feel that our past is hard. The good was amazing and damn near perfect, but that bad was the most devastated I've ever been, and I'd rather not get my heart broken, again." I said.

Liam sucked in a breath beside me.

"That obviously struck a chord with you, Liam. Anything to add?" She asked him.

"I feel overwhelmed. I've been learning a lot of things in the last few days that has really changed my perspective."

Dr. Marsh nodded.

"Okay." She said. "From what I've seen there's a lot of love here, and a lot of pain. This is just my observation from your body language in the last few minutes. Your eyes linger, your touches are soft. But there is also a lot of distrust here. I'd like each of you to tell me about your past, in your own words, from the start. Steffy let's start with you."

And so, I told her every factual detail of mine and Liam's life together, everything including my deceptions, and his involvement with Hope. I told her about his involvement with Sally, and my indiscretion with his father. I told her of his forgiveness and then his change of mind. I told her how we'd been deceived, leading to our annulment, his almost wedding to Hope, and my restraining order against his father.

"Well, thank you for that." Dr. Marsh said, when I'd finally stopped. "But, how did you feel through all of that?"

I didn't see what good I could do by answering that question. It would just dredge up a lot of pain for both of us.

"Which part?" I asked, instead.

"Tell me how you felt as you were retelling the story." She said.

"I felt like at first people thought I only wanted Liam because Hope had him. It upset me, it painted me as the villain for our entire lives. They made it seem as though my feelings for Liam weren't genuine and that I was using him as some ploy to get revenge on Hope because of the part time relationship we both had with my dad. And because of that, no matter what I did I was the bad guy and Hope was the angel, even when she slept with Liam, or kissed him and made advances on him when we were together, it was okay because they were destined to be together and I was the villain preventing destiny. It pissed me off."

"It only pissed you off? Who were you mad at, Hope or Liam?" She asked.

"I wasn't ever mad at Liam, I don't think. I was sad, and I felt like I would always struggle to be good enough, because no matter how much I had changed, I had all my past indiscretions that were always being thrown in my face. I felt tired, the tug of war with Hope was getting exhausting and I was always on the brink of giving up when Liam came back to me." I said.

"And what about now? Why does Liam think you want a platonic relationship?" She asked.

"Because I do. I was never mad at Liam, I never allowed myself to be because I always had Hope to be mad at, and fight against. But in the last few months, I realized that he doesn't trust me. I spent a long time being a good person and constantly being reminded of my past mistakes, and I know that sleeping with Bill is the biggest mistake of all of them, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life hearing about it, having his forgiveness thrown in my face, walking on eggshells and feeling like less of a person over something I can't take back. I realized that I don't trust him, either. I let all my negative feelings simmer and I realize now that I feel very insecure when I'm with him, like nothing I do will ever be enough and that he always has a fallback, or is that me? Am I the fallback?" I gasped at all I had just said, refusing to look to my left to meet his gaze.

The hurt I would find in them would be too much, it would make me want to take back what I said, even though it was the truth.

Dr. Marsh's pen moved furiously over the pad.

"And Liam, how do you feel?" Dr. Marsh asked.

"I feel like a jerk. Everything she told you was true. I haven't always been the most loyal guy, but I never felt that she was the fallback, and I hate that I ever made her insecure. I never thought she felt like she wasn't good enough, but I need her to know that I will never hold the things that she has done over her head. My forgiveness is not a bargaining chip. I love her, and I've always loved her, even when we weren't together."

"I feel like I need to be clear." I said. "You never made me feel like I should be grateful for your forgiveness. Whenever you forgave me, you meant it. I know that. But everybody else made it their job to remind me; Brooke, Hope, Rick—they all made sure I knew just how grateful I should be that you forgave me. A lot of our relationship involved a lot of different people. It never felt like it was just us. I always felt pressured to be better than I was because they were always watching, waiting for me to screw up so they could step in."

Dr. Marsh nodded and checked her clock.

"Okay, we are almost out of time. I feel like we breached some very sensitive topics today. I would like to schedule your next meeting for tomorrow. My hope is that we can have this resolved before its time for you to give birth. I realize that this can be very stressful for you, Steffy, so I'll try to keep our sessions brief."

She closed her notepad, placing in on the coffee table in-front of us and I was tempted to steal it and find out everything she thought about us.

"I like to close all my sessions on a positive note. I would like you to face each other and take turns listing three things you love about each other." Dr. Marsh said.

Liam turned to face me first, and I slowly turned my body to face his. He was devastated. His eyes red and puffy, as were mine. We both waited for the other to go first. Finally, I broke the silence.

"I love our memories. I know it didn't seem like it today, but being with you has been my greatest joy, even when we were just friends." I smiled.

"I love," He said, pausing before taking my hands in his. "I love your strength. You have always been so sure of yourself and I hate that I was the one to make you doubt yourself, because your strength has made me a stronger person."

"I love your passion. I love the way you love me, and your excitement over bean. I love that you are there with me at every appointment and were there even when I hurt you." I said.

"I love your vulnerability. You are badass, no doubt about that, but you put on this show sometimes like nothing hurts you, and I love that you let that fall with me and opened up to me in this session." He said.

"I love that you fight for me. I know I said I was tired of the cycle, that I wanted us to have a good relationship when our daughter is born, and I felt the only way that was possible was to be friends, but I love that you prove your love to me, over and over again." I said.

"I love that you're here with me. Even though you didn't think we could fix things again, I love that you showed up and that you're going to give this a chance."

"That ends our session for today." Dr. Marsh said. "I'll give you the room for a few minutes. It helps some people to decompress."

Then she left us, alone in a room with everything that had just been said.

A/N: Super long chapter. Liam's POV next.

I originally wrote Cameron as a possible love interest for Steffy, but after the therapy scene it seems kind of pointless. So, I might just write him as a flirt who Liam is jealous of but Steffy never does anything.

I didn't want to rehash their whole love story for the therapist simply because I don't remember all the details and it would have made the chapter even longer. I started watching around the time where Liam and Hope were getting married in Italy, so I didn't want to misrepresent anything.

Anyway, as always read, review and enjoy. Next chapter to come soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Liam's POV**

The tension in the room was palpable to say the least.

Steffy broke eye contact with me the moment Dr. Marsh left, but where she wanted to leave the intensity behind, I wanted to hold on to it, to savour it.

The session had been painfully honest, but I felt closer to her than I had in a very long time. I wanted this moment to last. I just wish she did too.

"I should probably be getting home." Steffy said.

I wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her up as she grumbled a reluctant thank you. I knew she was annoyed at my attention. She'd always hated needing help, but the weight of her belly had significantly increased in the last four months and as much as she hated to admit to it, he centre of gravity was thrown off by it.

And if I was being honest, I was compelled to touch her, to feel close to her and bean. I wanted to feel a part of this journey with her. A journey I'd stupidly removed myself from and have regretted ever since.

"I'll walk you to your car." I said, getting up and getting the door for her before she could protest. She didn't though. She remained completely and irritatingly quiet the entire ride in the elevator and walk to her car.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said, hopping in her car giving me mild satisfaction that she would show up at our next appointment tomorrow.

I stood waiting for her to drive away, watching as she started the engine only to have it stutter and fall silent.

She groaned, dropping her head to the steering wheel.

I smiled, knocking on the window.

"C'mon, I'll give you a ride." I said.

She stared at me warily for some time. Enough to make me worry that she'd say no and call a car, but then she sighed, grabbed her purse and followed me to my car.

"Are you sure you remember the way?" She asked.

I laughed.

"I guess I deserve that." I said.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, she reached for the radio, but I grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Should we talk?" I asked. "About everything we said in the…"

She pulled her hand away.

"I don't really think we need to. I mean, I think we did a lot of talking for tonight." She said, staring at her lap.

"I just think that maybe we need to talk about what we talked about. We didn't really decompress." I pointed out.

"Isn't that what tomorrow's session is for?" She asked.

But she wasn't really understanding. How could I tell her that I just wanted to spend time with her alone, without prying eyes, or pressure to bring up painful memories. All I wanted was to have dinner with her and maybe watch a Bob Hope movie. I wanted to have fun with her again.

When did our relationship become so hard?

I pulled up to the Cliff House, our old house, her house now, and walked her to the door.

She quickly got her keys and was inside.

Before she could close the door, I stuck my foot in.

"Have you eaten?" I got the courage to ask.

She stared at me like I'd grown another head.

"I mean, I know how well you cook, and I figure you could use one of my home cooked meals. I mean, you must be tired of take out by now. And bean should really try my cooking, so she gets used to it. Plus, it's got to be healthier than take out, right?"

"I've actually gotten okay at cooking now, for your information." She said.

"Please." I said.

She stepped back, and I walked into our home of the second time in three days.

She walked into our old bedroom as I looked for any changes I'd been too determined to notice the first time. There weren't many, a few less pictures of us together; noticeably absent the wedding photo we kept on top the mantle of the fireplace. I wonder what she did to the one we'd kept beside our bed?

The most significant change, the once empty guest bedroom beside ours was littered with shopping bags, filled with toys, clothes, baby booties. A tiny black faux leather jacket conjured images of Steffy and bean, in matching mommy and me leather jackets.

The room was painted, but not your typical baby girl pink. Rather the formerly white walls were a beautiful blue sky, with perfect white clouds. It was perfect, everything we ever wanted. Our daughter would wake up to blue skies every day.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Steffy said from behind me. She had changed into a loose dress that accentuated her bump. "I thought it was more positive than just a regular old soft duckling or enchanted forest. I had an artist come by a couple months ago, and we decided on the sky, over there, she's going to paint our faces. I had to give her a couple pictures, I hope that's okay with you, but the mural will be worth it. She thought she could make a park scene to surround us, maybe some kites and butterflies. Based on her sketches, it'll be really beautiful. I thought the crib could go right beside that wall, so she could always see our faces, even when I'm at work." And you're not here. She didn't say it, but she didn't have to.

"And you don't have to worry about fumes or anything, she comes in to paint when I'm at work and the type of paint she uses is very safe for pregnant women. And you're probably wondering about that big blank spot. We were thinking about putting her name there, she's been super on me about that because she keeps saying she can't do anything else on that wall until I tell her if she's a Penelope, a Paris, or Jo." She laughed.

I didn't know what to say. It was already a beautiful room. When it was finished, it would be perfect. I could see it in my mind; Steffy and I bringing her home from the hospital, placing her in her crib. We'd stand over her watching her, basking in how beautiful she was. And even when we weren't there, she'd feel us surrounding her. It was a picture I'd carried in my mind when we first found out about the pregnancy, a picture that had seemed so far away a couple weeks ago, and one that should feel within reach now, but felt like it was fading.

I cleared my throat, leaving the nursery.

"So, what do you feel like? How about your favourite?" I asked, approaching the kitchen.

Steffy abruptly stopped behind me, face blanched, clutching her stomach.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked, reaching for her.

"Yeah, um, it's just stir fry has been making me sick lately." She said.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled.

"It's okay. You couldn't have known."

 _But I should have._

"So, what can you have?" I asked, opening the refrigerator.

"Well, there are some pickles in the fridge that you could fry. Oh, that and some of that red pasta you used to make, and some chocolate milk." She said, smiling brightly.

That combination sounded disgusting, but it was simple enough to make and at least I could have the pasta. I got to work as Steffy put her feet up and turned on some music. She scarfed down her food faster and louder than I'd ever seen her eat before, moaning at the bite of pickle and spaghetti.

I remained quiet, amused and watching, while battling my inner turmoil. The talking that was supposed to be done seemingly escaping both our views.

Or that's what I thought.

"Are you upset?" Steffy asked, after she had polished off the remainder of the chocolate milk.

"About the session? No." I said, hoping she believed me, but she had always been good at reading me. The session was the farthest thing from my mind.

"Not about the session. You've been weird since you saw the nursery. If you're worried about consistency, I can give you Carly's number and she can replicate it at your place. Where are you staying now, anyway?" She asked.

"I'm at a hotel for now while I find a new place." I said. "And the nursery is beautiful." I didn't bother to bring up the offer she made, because I didn't want to have a replica of my daughter's room at my place. I wanted to be with her and Steffy together, one nursery, one home.

"Then what is it, Liam? Don't you know that after all this time, I can tell when you're brooding over something?" She said with a soft smile.

"No, I'm just thinking about what you said, about a Penelope, Paris, or Jo. I guess I was just shocked that you already started thinking about names." Without me.

Though I left that part unsaid, she heard it.

"Those aren't my name choices, though I have been thinking about names. Penelope, Paris and Jo are the examples Carly gave for the wall because they're all different lengths and take up different spaces on the wall. She's been asking me every day if she's a Penelope, a Paris or a Jo, and honestly, Penelope is starting to grow on me. I know it must suck, feeling like you're not a part of something that you should be, but I can't apologize for moving on. I spent a long time being sad about our break up, and I needed to be strong and ready for when our daughter came. Time didn't stop, and focusing on the nursery and names, it really pulled me out of a dark place." She said, chin raising stubbornly, and all I could think is I hope that our daughter gets that stubborn chin.

"I don't want you to apologize. I'm not going to lie, it does suck. But none of that is your fault. You fought to keep us together, and I was too blinded by everything else that was going on to consider what I was going to lose."

She looked shocked at my admission of my guilt, but the session and a lot of harsh words from just about everybody I've talked to recently has made me see the truth in their accusations.

I have been disloyal, stubborn, and self-righteous at times, and if I ever wanted to grow and build a life with Steffy I needed to admit my own pitfalls and stop crucifying others for theirs.

"So, what names have you been thinking of?" I asked, changing the subject to something more optimistic.

"I've just chosen a few that I like, but I still always thought we'd do this together, whether you had gotten married or not. I thought we could both come up with names we liked and tell each other. We get veto power too though." She laughed. "I've been looking at a lot of unique names. I want her to have a name that's completely hers, but you're going to have to tell me when I've gone too far. I don't think I remember the difference between unique and ugly anymore."

I laughed.

"Okay, shoot." I said.

"Hang on a sec." She shuffled over to the nursery, and returned with a book, handing it to me. It was the book 100 unique names for your baby girl. "Feel free to chime in with your own when you find any you like."

I nodded, immersed in the book.

"I'm not going to start off with my favourite just in case you hate it right away. One of the ones I like Dahlia."

Dahlia Spencer had I nice ring to it. But then we hadn't discussed last names. Dahlia Forrester-Spencer?

"I like it." I said.

"Okay, it stays on the list. I should get a pen…" She muttered, searching before giving it a checkmark. "Found anything yet?" She asked.

"Nope, still looking." I said.

"Okay, next for me, Leilani." She said.

Once again, I needed to hear it; Leilani Spencer or Leilani Forrester Spencer.

"I like it more than Dahlia." I said. "What about Athena?"

"I love the idea of naming her after a goddess." She scribbled adding it to the list.

"I like Willow." She said.

"Veto." I said. "It's pretty, but it sounds kind of sad."

"Huh? I never thought of that." She crossed it out.

"How about Adeline?"

"Veto. Too vintage." She said. "Finley and Emerson."

"Unisex?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but I kind of like the idea of a girl rocking a boy's name." She smirked.

"Finley, yes. Emerson, veto."

She sighed. "Fine."

"What about River or Lyric?" I added, not really names but definitely unique.

"It does roll off the tongue nicely. River Spencer, or Lyric Spencer."

I stuttered, breaking into a full-blown smile.

"What?" She asked.

"I didn't know if you wanted to hyphenate or not. Or if she'd even have my last name at all."

"I mean, I thought about Forrester Spencer, but only because they're both powerful last names in the business world, but no matter how upset I was at you, she was always going to be a Spencer."

I smiled, hope filling my chest.

"Maybe by the time she's born, you'll be a Spencer again."

She tensed, looking away, before picking up her phone checking the time. She cleared her throat and looking anywhere but at me, she said, "It's getting pretty late. We should call it a night."

I glanced at my watch. It was barely 9:30.

"Steffy—" I started, but she held up her hand, standing and not too subtlety shoving me towards the door.

"Liam, we had a pretty good moment, let's not push our luck and just call it a night, huh?"

I tried to protest, but she'd already opened the door and shoved me outside.

"Goodnight." She said, closing the door, and once again I was on the outside looking in on my family who seemed to be doing just fine without me.

 **A/N:** So, I've been reading the spoilers and it said that Steffy is going to choose a name for her baby, so this chapter was inspired by that little bit of information. Anyway, all the names I like for this baby I put in this chapter, so review comment, and tell me what names you like for Baby Spencer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Steffy's POV**

Waking up alone hasn't gotten any easier.

I always had this fantasy about waking up when I was pregnant. I would wake up and Liam would be wrapped around me, his arms resting gently around my ever growing baby bump. I've been sleeping alone since the beginning of my pregnancy, I really should be used to it, but I missed what could have been.

However, I would not take long to pity myself. Today was supposed to be a very good day. I was going to wear and model one of the products from my maternity line for the in house show case.

It was a beautiful maternity dress, an off the shoulder design that was fitted and ruche at the top flowing out into a bohemian high-low skirt that was perfect and comfortable for the rounder mom, but also fashionable for the newly pregnant. It was light pink satin with a white lace trim and overlay. It was one of my sweeter less edgy designs for Steffy's Girl. I'd kept the accompanying baby dress for little bean.

To say I was excited for the feedback on this design as well as the others was an understated. It was almost enough to make me forget that Liam wasn't here to tell me I looked beautiful, that would simply have to be relegated to another fantasy about me feeling fat and having him tell me I look beautiful.

I stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was done up in a beautiful braided up-do, hair falling around me framing my face, my makeup beautiful and light mostly because I was too tired. But I reminded myself, I didn't need Liam. I could remind myself how beautiful I am.

I smiled at the mirror, glancing down at my rounded belly.

"Doesn't mommy look beautiful today? Mommy looks hot. Remember bean, to always tell yourself how beautiful you are. If you know in your heart that you are beautiful inside and out and you remind yourself everyday, then no one can say any different. And if they do, be sure to tell me so I can kick their ass." I said, turning away from the mirror to grab my work bag. "And don't say ass, sweetie. That's a mommy word."

I said, walking to the door. "But if you do, I won't hold it against you." I laughed as I pulled the door even and ran into Liam.

Well, almost. He caught me before I could.

"Hold what against me?" He asked.

"What are you doing here?" I asked instead of answering.

"You look beautiful. I've never seen this dress before. It's gorgeous, not just the dress. You are...you're stunning." He rambled, before pausing a look of confusion crossing his face. "Who were you talking to?"

"You haven't answered my question? Did you sleep here?" I glanced passed him to where his car was parked. The same place it was parked last night. "Did you sleep in your car?"

He laughed. "No, I went back to my hotel, but I knew your car would be in the shop, so I figured I'd give you a ride to work today."

"Oh, thanks Liam, but I called a car service." He didn't try to hide his disappointment and with his hands still holding my shoulders, it was almost as if I could feel it. "I'll cancel."

"Really?"

"Sure." I smiled, as he leads me over to his car, holding the door open for me to climb in. He climbed in, started the engine, and we drove off, but I would catch him glancing over at me.

"Was your mom there? I heard you taking to someone. I would've stopped in to say hi not that I'm her favourite person right about now." He said, his curiosity finally taking over.

A fickle, doubtful, cynical part of my brain reminded me that he probably just wanted to make sure Bill hadn't stopped by-he had broken the restraining order before- or that I didn't have any other companion there with me.

A more vengeful part wanted to remind him that I hadn't been the one kissing and almost marrying someone else.

I forced them to be quiet.

"I was talking to bean, actually." I said, smiling down at her. "I read somewhere that babies can hear in utero and it helps to get them used to the sound of your voice. It's supposed to help calm and soothe them when they're born. And it helps the house seem less quiet."

Liam gulped, his hands twitching at the wheel.

"Do you- do you think she knows my voice?" He asked quietly.

The tension in the car rose to insufferable levels because he hadn't really spoken to her, not like I have at least. And I'd hate to think of what she's already heard from him, doubts, accusations, murder, annulment? These are the conversations we've had since I've been pregnant. But that was different, he was speaking to me; sometimes yelling, sometimes whispering, but I'd hate for her to associate her fathers voice with something negative.

"Maybe-" I started, hesitating at the closeness I was about to allow, worrying at how it would affect me, hating that I felt the need to give him something, that I felt the need to offer him something to make up for all he's missed. Hating that I felt responsible. I took a deep breath and said the words anyway. "Maybe you could talk to her sometimes. Probably not now because I'd like to get to work safely." He grinned at me, already so hopeful, tears gleaming in his eyes. I pressed on. "I understand it's a special feeling, feeling like your alone with her, so I can wear headphones sometimes if you want privacy."

"Yes" He nodded. "Thank you. I'm so grateful. You have no idea what this means to me."

"You don't have to thank me. She's just as much yours as she is mine." I said.

"Still." He took my hand.

I nodded.

He held my hand the rest of the drive, and the entire walk from the parking lot to the office. I tried to pull away. I knew Hope was going to be back today for the meeting about Steffy's Girl and Baby Boy Forrester, name soon to be determined. Not that she minded parading her relationship with Liam in front of me, any and all of the times they were together, but I didn't want to hurt her anymore. I knew first hand what that felt like, but every time I tried to pull my hand away, he holds on tighter and stare at me with those sad puppy eyes and I caved.

Pam raised her eyebrows, smiling intently as we walked passed her and into my office. No doubt she would have everybody believing we were back together before noon.

Once the doors were closed behind us, I turned to Liam, determined not to be swayed by his soft eyes and kind words. I knew better than most how sincere the could be in the moment…until the moment was over.

"Listen Liam, we don't want to give anybody the wrong impression here, so the hand holding and staring and everything else is going to have to stop, okay?" I said, pulling my hand free to take a seat behind my desk.

"I think they should get used to the idea. I have every intention of being with you again, and I know that freaks you out right now, but one day it won't. It'll be better for everyone to get used to the idea now." He leaned over the desk, hands braced on either side, meeting my gaze to show me the fire in his.

"It doesn't freak me out." I said, glaring, but he was skeptical.

"It doesn't." I repeated. "It's just—I mean, I just—whatever, it doesn't matter. I think it'll be best to keep things professional at work, it'll save a lot of people a lot fo pain, and if I'm being completely honest, I'm not ready for the conflict and the accusations from certain very loud and opinionated people who work here. The stress just isn't good for me right now, so just leave it."

He stared at me for a long time, taking in the truth in what I was saying, and knowing where I came from.

"I know my indecision has hurt a lot of people, but I'm not doing that anymore. I know exactly what it is that I want, and that's you and bean, our family. And I'm not going to stop fighting for us, ever. I don't want to stress you out, and I'm not going to let anyone blame you for things that were my fault. I won't let them, okay?"

He wouldn't break I contact with me, trying to convince me of his sincerity. It made the blood rush to my cheeks and my mind wander to places I hadn't allowed it to in the last two weeks. Dreams that started with us kissing, me in his arms and ended with us in a bed, in love. I hadn't had thoughts like that since my second trimester and I refused to go back to being lonely and miserable. I needed him to leave before I did something stupid.

"Yeah, okay. Just, I have a lot of work today before this meeting and I really need to focus, so thank you for picking me up, but I need you to go to your office now." I said.

"Actually, about that. I don't have an office really. I just shared with Hope anytime we were working on the HFTF stuff and I don't think she wants to share an office with me anymore." He said, taking a seat on the opposite side of my desk. "I was hoping that I could just work from your office. I promise you wont even hear me at all."

Forrester Creations was really in need of some more office space. I mean I could stick him in a cuticle with the interns but that was a little below his pay grade and level of experience.

"Fine. Just no interruptions." I said, grudgingly.

He was quiet, and we worked in silence for about an hour, before he caught a glimpse of one of the designs for Steffy's Girl. The design that I was wearing.

"Steffy's Girl?" He asked, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, I figured it was about time Forrester did an affordable, designer maternity line, and what better time than when one of their models and CEOs are pregnant and can't get baby clothes and maternity clothes of her mind."

"This is amazing, Steffy." He said.

"Well, no one else was supposed to see the designs until I revealed them in the meeting, but I guess you might as well know now. Its going to be a matching mommy and me line, for both baby boys and girls. I obviously have been more invested in the baby girl line, but I do have more than a few cute designs for baby boys, I've just been having trouble with the name, and I really need to figure it out before the meeting."

"You never cease to amaze me." He said, making me feel all tingly. "What were you thinking for the boy line, maybe I can help?"

"Um, I was thinking since the girl half is named after me, maybe I could have the boy half named after you somehow, considering it was our child that gave me the idea. And I kInda wanted it to be a play on words."

"Steffy's Girl, very clever." He said, rising for his seat, and following me to where I stood against the long table. Without warning, he hugged me, as tightly as he could with my belly in between. "Thank you for thinking of me, and for being so spectacular. It's probably not my place anymore, but I'm so proud of you. I know our daughter will be too." He pressed his forehead against mine in a gesture that felt more intimate than a kiss.

I took a deep breath, whispering a shaky, "Okay", before turning away. But then my face was in his hands, and his nose was brushing mine, and when his lips touched mine, all rational thought left my mind. I want to say that I stopped it, that I nipped it in the bud, and went back to the professional I prided myself on being, but I didn't. I wrapped my hands around his neck, my fingers toying with the hair at the nape of his neck and cherished the way his hands wrapped around my waist.

The only one thinking clearly, it seemed was bean, whose sharp kick startled me, making Liam laugh.

"She really does know how to pick a moment, doesn't she?" He laughed, placing a hand on my stomach. My hands automatically covering his.

"Yeah, she's definitely got my dramatic streak." I laughed. He stared at me in a way that would definitely get us in trouble, so I cleared my throat and said. "I thought of Spencer Man, but I didn't know how you or my dad would feel considering Bill, and then I thought about Cooper Man, but not a lot of people knew you as Liam Cooper, so that left Liam. I was thinking something like mini Liam, or Liam's Mini Me, or Liam's Mini Man, I don't know."

"Liam's Mini Man is my favourite." He said. "But that's not really what I want to talk about right now."

"Well, it's what I'm willing to talk about right now."

"I think we should talk about it." He pressed.

"Talk about what?" I feigned innocence.

"Fine, then I would like to talk to bean. You said I could."

"Yeah, but not here, not now. I mean, we're at work." I argued.

"But we're alone, it's private—"

"I don't have headphones." I said.

"Don't worry. You can borrow mine." He smiled.

And that's how we ended up being caught by Brooke, Hope, and Ridge. Me, listening to music, just quiet enough for me to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation as Liam kneeled in front where I sat, whispering to my belly.

A/N: Here's the new chapter. Hope you guys enjoy! Just a little side note: I hope you guys are as happy as I am that Wyatt finally told the truth. If I'm being honest, I'm happy that Hope's unhappy because she was really starting to annoy me, especially Brooke and her wacked sense of entitlement. I really want Steffy to drop Liam, or at least make him work really hard to get her back. I guess that much is obvious or else I wouldn't have written this. Anyway, thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

A/N: So, this chapter and the last one are both a little fluffy. I feel like all the drama has made the writer lose sight a little of how important this is for Liam and Steffy having previously lost a baby, I feel like there have been a lot of missed opportunities for things like decorating a nursery and talking to the baby and giving your baby advice that she won't need for a couple years. A lot of the excitement of a new baby is lost, and I wanted to give Steffy some of those moments. So, here it is! Twice in one week! I'm proud. Enjoy!

 **Liam's POV**

"Hi there, baby. I'm sorry it took me this long to do this. It's a long story, most of which is my fault. I'm sure you'll hear about it someday, and when you do I want you to remember that I loved you from the very start. And I loved your mother from the day I met her, and sometimes I've been stupid. I've allowed myself to be deceived and manipulated, but in all those times, my love for her has never wavered, weakened or faltered. You'll get it, if you don't already. She's strong, and smart, and beautiful. So beautiful and not just because of her looks; she's kind and absolutely kick ass. It is almost too easy to fall in love with her. I know I definitely couldn't help it and I never could've stopped."

I looked up at Steffy who seemed to be busy with her work on our line, but if I knew her as well as I thought I did, she could probably hear me. Not that I cared, I preferred that she hear, maybe if I said it enough, she'd believe me.

"I know you've probably heard a lot of fighting, and that was probably a little scary. I hate that I have to tell you this so soon, but sometimes adults fight, and sometimes it's about things that they don't even understand, but that doesn't mean they don't love each other. Sometimes, it's because they love each other so much that they fight. I know it sounds very complicated and it is. The world is a very complicated place, and I'm going to try my best to shield you from that, but just know that your very presence in the world makes everything a little brighter. Your mother has done some pretty amazing things in her life, all of which are reasons why I love her, and of all those amazing things, none of them even come close to comparing to you. Daddy loves you."

"It's been less than a week and she's already using your baby as a bargaining chip to get you back and hurt my daughter." Brooke interrupted.

I hadn't noticed she'd been standing there. She along with Ridge and Hope had entered the office at some point and I had been to0 wrapped up in talking to my daughter to notice. At my change in attention, Steffy's gaze drifted to the door as well, her shoulders tensed and prepared. Now, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that she had been eavesdropping. She clearly heard Brooke's barb and was preparing for a fight.

Before I could jump to her defense, Ridge spoke.

"Brooke, be careful how you talk about my daughter." He said, much to her annoyance.

"Why should I? She's made a sport out of destroying my daughter's future. She's manipulative and untrustworthy. It's the truth. She betrayed Liam, with his father of all people. Their marriage ended that night in the guest house, and no truth or manipulation by Bill can undo what she has already done."

Steffy's shoulders sank lower with each insult. Her eyes brimming with tears, but she remained quiet. Hope, whose mother was jumping down Steffy's throat in defense of her, remained silent as well. I didn't have to wonder if she thought those things as well. She had said as much to me before, and in my hurt and anger I had let her. But no more.

"Brooke, you will watch the way you talk about Steffy. She has done absolutely nothing to you and I won't have you blame her for things that weren't her fault. If you need someone to blame, then blame me. I'm the one who hurt Hope. The reason she is in pain right now, and has ever been in pain is because of me, and the choices I made. You will stop picking on the mother of my child, the woman that I love, simply because I chose her."

Steffy looked at me in shock. Everyone did. No one spoke to Brooke that way. Ridge looked proud, and Hope looked a little annoyed at my defense of Steffy, but the way she spoke about Steffy made my blood boil.

"And not to be disrespectful Brooke, but where do you get off talking about betrayal and untrustworthiness? You who betrayed your sister with Bill, and Ridge with Eric, and slept with your daughter's husband. It is not and will never be your place to talk about anybody's indiscretions when your list is so long."

Steffy placed her hand on my arm, possibly wanting me to hold back, but I was too far gone. Before our session with Dr. Marsh, I had blinded myself to the unfairness of the way Steffy was treated by Brooke, Hope, and Eric, but it was clear to me now, and it was appalling.

"How dare you?" Brooke glared.

"No." I said. "You don't get to act offended. Like you said. It's the truth. I chose Steffy, I am with Steffy and we will be together forever. I won't let anything get in our way, especially you Brooke. I expect you to respect our relationship."

Brooke glared at Ridge, wanting him to jump to her defense. When that didn't happen, she turned her attention to Hope, who remained silent, eyes bright with tears, but at least her scowls were reserved for me and not Steffy.

"Is it true?" Ridge asked. "Are you back together?" He smiled.

"No, we're not." Steffy answered decisively.

"We will be." I assured Ridge. He glanced at Steffy confused, and she shook her head.

"So, what you're saying is, you left my daughter for someone who refuses to be with you?" Brooke asked..

I glared at her, turning my attention to Hope.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you, but it's not fair to you to be with you when my heart is with someone else. And I am fighting to be with Steffy, for our life together, and our family. I hope you can understand that."

She nodded, wiping away her tears.

"I know. You're not a bad guy, Liam. And maybe one day we can be friends, but I'd appreciate not having to hear about your love for Steffy, or seeing you two together, especially right now."

"I'm sorry too, Hope." Steffy said. "Believe it or not, it was not my intention for any of this to happen. In fact, I tried like hell to prevent this very scenario. I hate what this has done to our family. As much as we like to pretend that we're nothing to each other, we share the same family, and one day I would really like us to act like it. What happens between Liam and I is not important right now. This is a place of business, and if nothing else I really want us to try to have a stable work relationship."

I didn't think I could love her anymore, but she always surprises me. The amount of grace she has, her maturity, her consideration. I am lucky to have loved her and to have had her love me, and our daughter is the luckiest daughter in the world to have Steffy as her mother.

She cleared her throat. "So why don't you take a seat. Rick and Maya should be here any second now, and we can get down to the reason I called this meeting in the first place."

She said as she clicked the projector to come down and began placing her designs on the easels surrounding the long table.

I tried to help, but she batted my hand a way and gave me a glare that could have disintegrated me where I stood. I was relegated to watching awkwardly while Brooke glared at me, Hope refused to look and me, and Ridge shot me pitiful looks that I can only describe as him being sad for me, and the situation I was in, but immensely proud of his daughter for making me work hard to win back her trust.

God, let this meeting start quickly.

We didn't have to wait long for the stragglers to arrive.

Rick, Maya, Pam, and the guy that I saw with Steffy the other day soon filtered in, and all attention turned to Steffy as the meeting commenced.

"I called this meeting to introduce a new hire, and a new line that we're introducing at Forrester."

She gestured to the man, who stood. "This is Cameron Hart. He is an exceptional runway and print photographer, and a great addition to our team here. We have been working closely on a new project that I hope you'll be as receptive to as I am."

She clicked on the projector, and a video slideshow started showing some stunning maternity and matching baby girl dresses and onesies. The 'to be announced' baby boy onesies were equally as exceptional. But the most beautiful thing in the entire slideshow, Steffy's happiness. She was featured along with some other expecting mothers in the slideshow and each of them had an exuberance about them, about feeling beautiful during this beautiful process. Whenever I caught her gaze, she radiated that happiness and a sense of accomplishment that shined through her demeanor and her smile.

At the end of the video, she spoke.

"I'd like to thank Cameron for his exceptional camera work. He really outdid himself, and I was a bit of a tyrant."

"It was my pleasure." He said. "It's easy making beautiful people shine."

I personally could've done without that comment, but I wouldn't let it take away from this moment.

"This new line is an affordable designer maternity line. It is very hard to find designer maternity clothes, I would know, and as such it is in very high demand. Statistically speaking, it is a great move for Forrester Creations right now. All of those are outlined in the packages in front of you, but besides just the statistics of it all. I think as a family company, we have let the ball drop by not catering to the creation of the family and making sure that women can look stylish and feel beautiful when they're creating a family. I am wearing one of the designs right now, and the designs have been focus-group tested, and worn by other women, in various points in their pregnancies and I and they can attest to the comfort level throughout a pregnancy from beginning to end."

"The girl line is called Steffy's Girl, and the accompanying boy line will be called the Mini Cooper in tribute to Liam and his mother. I want this line not only to be about designer baby wear, but comfort, and dreams for your children. I'll give everybody a minute to look through their folders and answer any questions you may have."

She didn't have to wait long, Rick fired away immediately.

"It looks like a pretty big budget. Where do you expect to get the funds for a project of this magnitude? Launching a new line is no picnic." He glared at her, and I felt that this had more to do with her carrying my baby, and my botched wedding to Hope than it did budget.

"We're going to have to move some funds around. Hope for the Future has been front and center for a while now, and a lot of our funds are going into that. Brooke's Bedroom is also a well-established line, so some of the funding will also come from marketing from that line. But most of the budget is coming from previous profits and our funds for startups." She said, calmly.

Brooke was next, "So, what I'm hearing is you plan to shove mine and Hope's line to the back, to boost your own ego. So much for a professional relationship. If you are going to use your position to further your vendetta against my daughter and me—"

"First of all," Steffy started, a fire in her eyes now. "I have no vendetta against you and Hope. As is normal with new startups funds can be taking from established lines who already have buzz and require less marketing. Second, if you had bothered to look in your folder, you would notice that my budget is much smaller than the one given to Hope for the Future and Brooke's Bedroom when they were starting up. This line is meant to be affordable to all mothers, and as such I will try to keep company spending low so that we can maximize profit while still making this brand affordable. Lastly, if you have nothing worthy to contribute and are intent on bringing personal issues into a business meeting you are free to leave. I only invited you into this meeting as a courtesy."

She spoke with confidence, but I could see that she was trying her best to blink back tears. She had been through and emotional roller coaster lately. A lot of that fell heavily on my feet, but Brooke definitely wasn't helping with her constant insults and objections. Usually Steffy was one to meet her head on, but all the stress on top of the hormones form the pregnancy made Steffy a little more emotional and less resilient than usual.

"Listen, this a line that is very important to me. Rick and Maya, I'm sure you would have loved to have a Forrester baby line when Lizzie was born. All that I am asking is that everyone show me the same respect and support you have given to most everyone else who's ever had an idea about how to take this company forward. You will leave personal lives out of business meetings and take in that this is an idea, and a line with merit."

Cameron stood up, draping his arm around Steffy in a way that spoke of a familiarity between them that I was certain wasn't there. "Basically," He said. "What your CEO just said in a much nicer way, was get on board or get out, because Steffy's Girl and Mini Cooper; they're happening."

And as much as I was glad someone with less of a messy past, and a clear bias to Steffy had come to her defense. I hated that Cameron was touching her and defending her. She was my family, not his. It was my job to protect her, not his. And I was desperate to tear his fingers off of her.

"Well, I as co-CEO think it's a brilliant idea. This market will always be in demand, the designs are beautiful, they look comfortable, and they are definitely affordable. I sign off on this and whatever budgetary adjustments it requires." Ridge said.

"I agree. It stands to be a very profitable line for Forrester." Thorne agreed.

"I can't argue with the numbers." Rick said, grudgingly.

"And with the way the press has taken an interest in my pregnancy, I might even be able to shave down our marketing budget some more." Steffy added.

Hope and Brooke remained silent as the others discussed product placement and production.

The meeting closed, and Steffy and Cameron stayed behind, talking a bit, Steffy clearly excited about the future of the line, but Cameron was a little too close for comfort.

I walked over to them, dropping a kiss on Steffy's cheek and sweeping her up in my arms in a way that made her laugh and scream my name.

"Thank you, for Mini Cooper. My mom would've loved that." I said.

Without letting go of my hold on her, I turned to Cameron.

"Liam Spencer. I used to be Liam Cooper of Mini Cooper. Steffy's husband." I said, hand outstretched.

He frowned. "Husband?"

He glanced between us, confused. Our split was very well publicized as well as my wedding to Hope.

"Ex-husband." Steffy clarified for him.

"For now." I made my intentions clear. Steffy glared at me as Cameron nodded, finally exiting the room.

I smiled down at her as she muttered something about how annoying I was under her breath, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to hide my intentions. She knew that, Brooke and Hope knew it, and frankly if it were up to me, I'd broadcast it on tv, so everyone knew it.

It would read: Steffy Forrester is a strong, confident, brilliant, beautiful woman. She is the love of my life.

I am going to fight for her until I run out of breath, and nothing, not Brooke, or Rick, or Cameron would stop me.

A/N: I have been super inspired to write this week. Possible because I've been watching, and the Logan's are really annoying me, especially Brooke and her self-righteous attitude. This is just me taking out my frustration on how she acts towards Steffy throughout the show. Also, when she yelled at her that one episode awhile back and made Steffy cry as if she had never done worse, I wanted to punch the tv. I also wanted to write a little bit of a jealous Liam, because in his fights with Bill he's been really possessive. He keeps saying 'my wife' and 'my family' and I think it's so funny because Steffy is not his wife anymore. He made sure of that and that's what I keep screaming at the tv b/c Liam clearly wants to have his cake and eat it too and that's not how this works. Anyway, as always. Read, review and enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Steffy's POV**

It became increasingly hard to resist Liam in the following weeks. It seemed he had taken everything I was saying in our therapy sessions to heart. I told him that I didn't trust him anymore, that words and promises weren't enough, and so he decided he would prove his love for me through his actions.

He picked me up at the Cliff House every day before work while my car was in the shop, and then when it wasn't anymore, I didn't know how to tell him that I didn't need rides anymore, so I parked my car in the garage and let him continue to drive me to work. Somehow, that turned into breakfast runs as well.

He jumped to my defense whenever he deemed necessary at work, whether it was with Hope, Brooke, or even just silly budget arguments with Thorne and Rick. I could do without all the knight in shining armour stuff to be completely honest. I could take care of myself, but he made it clear to everybody that he was willing to fight for me; especially Cameron, which I personally found hilarious, but hey, if he wanted to get all jealous and worried over Cameron's little flirts, then so be it.

It had also become a regular occurrence for us to have dinner after every meeting with Dr. Marsh, which meant that most days, I was spending almost my entire day with Liam, and it was getting harder and harder for me to resist him and he was getting more and more frustrated with my objections.

This all came to a head, at our most recent therapy session.

"I just feel like it doesn't matter what I do, how much I try to prove to her I'm all in, she keeps holding me at arm's length." Liam said, making an effort not to look in my direction as he said it. He instead locked his eyes at Dr. Marsh, who pinned with her gaze daring me to say something.

But I couldn't really say anything. What Liam had said was the truth. He was doing everything he had promised; he was loyal, honest, and persistent. He hadn't given up fighting for me, even with all my rejections. He had kept all these promises.

And I had no real reason for keeping him in the friend zone, except my own fear.

"I am grateful for everything he does for me." I shifted, trying to get comfortable, which was seemingly impossible. My stomach was pressing up into my chest, and no amount of shifting helped.

Liam glanced over at me for the first time tonight. It had been a rather difficult session.

"I'm fine." I said, before he could ask. Clearing my throat, I focused on Dr. Marsh. "I like where we are now. There's not as much tension, we laugh, we have fun. It's nice, comfortable."

"Safe?" She asked.

"I didn't say that." I objected.

"Are you denying it?" She asked.

My cheeks and ears felt hot, and my head swam with the embarrassment that I could be read so easily.

"So, what if it's safe? When has safe ever been a bad thing?" I asked.

"There's nothing wrong with safety, except when you use it as a barrier to prevent you from going after the things you want." She said.

"And you think that's what I'm doing."

She pinned me under her hawk like gaze and remained silent.

"I think you trust me to be there for you and for our daughter. I think you've seen how sure I am of us, and I think there's a large part of you that is willing and ready to be in this with me, but that other 10% is loud and stubborn as hell. You won't let yourself trust me with your heart." Liam muttered.

I glared at him, hating how well he knew me, and how often I fell silent in these sessions, because I couldn't argue with the truth.

He faced me, his stare unflinching and determined.

"I thought we came here to let go of the past." He said.

"I have." I argued. "That doesn't mean I haven't learned from it."

"And what is it that you have learned, Steffy?" Dr. Marsh intervened.

"I learned that a passion and a love like ours, few people are lucky enough to have experienced it. And even fewer have experienced the pain of losing it. I'm not holding grudges or trying to throw our mistakes back in our faces. We both know everything that we have ever done to each other, and we have acknowledged it. But if I've learned anything from it, is that I jump into things with my whole heart, and most times I do it too quickly and without any thought of the consequences. I've been trying to keep my impulsive side in check. I've learned to give things more thought than I used to, and that may be frustrating to Liam, because it's not something I ever did. Especially when it came to him, but if I do this, if we do this again, I want it to not hurt this time. I want it to work out. So, no, I won't jump into a relationship like ours without thinking hard about it. And I know it may be annoying and tedious, sometimes for me too, but looking before you leap can save you a lot of broken bones."

"I've learned things too, Steffy. I've learned patience. I've learned strength, a lot of that from you. I'm not going to give up on us, no matter how annoying or tedious it gets, but I want our family. I want us reunited before our daughter comes. You're already 8 months along. She could come any day now and I'm not trying to give you any timelines or ultimatums, but I need to know, are you with me? Are you ever going to let me all the way in or can I expect to be here in 5 years, still fighting for you to give this a chance?"

I broke his gaze staring down at my stomach.

"Okay." Dr. Marsh said. "You've been very honest with each other tonight. So, I think we should call this meeting to a close before this turns into a battle of wills. As always, three things you love about each other. Liam, why don't you start us off tonight?"

"I love that you're so stubborn. You always fight for what you believe in and I have to trust that you're being stubborn this time because you believe it's the right thing to do. I honestly really hope it's a trait that our daughter takes from you." He said.

"I love your honesty. You've always told me the truth, even when it's something I don't necessarily want to hear."

"I love your independence. It doesn't always suit me, and sometimes it can be terrifying that you don't need me, but it's something I've always been proud of." He added.

"I love that you still miss me. I know I've been stubborn and a little or a lot resistant this last month, but I love that you keep fighting, that you haven't given up. I love knowing that you won't." I said.

"I love how protective you are. I know you'll do anything to protect me, and bean, and yourself; from anything, even if that something is us. I know that everything you say and do comes from a place of love; even how hard you rebel against me. It makes it easier, knowing that the reason I fight for you and the reason you resist me are both because we still love each other and want what's best for each other even though we don't agree on what that is."

"I love how understanding you are. There's never been any doubt that you know me better than almost anybody, but I love that you always take a minute to consider my perspective and others. It makes you one of the greatest men I know."

"Good." Dr. Marsh said. "I'll leave you here to decompress. But first, a bit of advice. I think in all the battles and fights with other lovers, and other people, you two have forgotten how young you are. And I know you are about to become parents and that means becoming more responsible, but don't forget to have some fun. What I've seen from you is that your relationship has a lot of passionate and heavy moments. I want you to try something light and fun, within reason of course." She stared at me pointedly. "I want you to try to get back to the couple who ran into waves and played volleyball on the beach just because they could. Having a deep passionate, enduring love like yours doesn't have to mean a relationship full of angst."

We didn't stay to decompress. It had become tradition to decompress over dinner, but after he dropped me off at the Cliff House, for the first time in four weeks, I wasn't sure if he'd come in.

So, I asked.

"Are you in or are you out?"

He dropped a quick kiss to my lips, brushing past me before I could get my head to stop spinning.

"I'm always in. Even when we're annoyed at each other, I'll be here." He called from the kitchen. "So, what are we feeling for dinner?"

The next day when Liam showed up to pick me up for work, he wasn't wearing his suit. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. He took one look at my maternity dress and blazer and shook his head.

"You're going to have to change. This isn't the right look for today." He smiled, walking into the room.

"I was just going to say the same thing to you. What's going on, Liam?"

"A surprise." He called from my closet, pulling out a comfortable, but way to casual sundress. "Here put this on."

"First of all, I make my own fashion choices." I argued, even though I'd give anything to be in something more comfortable. "Second, I don't feel up for surprises right now. And third, I am the CEO of a multi-million-dollar fashion house Liam. I can't just abandon work for the day."

He smiled and waited for me to finish before gently tugging me into the closet and raising his hand.

"One, I know what the surprise is so I'm the only one who can pick the appropriate clothes, and no I won't give you any hints. Two, this is a good surprise. It'll be fun and safe, don't worry, you'll love it. And three, you're co-CEO of a multi-million-dollar fashion house, which Ridge has already agreed to take over for you today."

I glared at him, before muttering "Fine."

"Good. I'll be waiting."

I changed quickly, excitement motivating my every motion. Last night had been a little tense, even our name guessing game got cut a little short as Liam left early. I hadn't known what to expect this morning, but this was better than anything I could have hoped for.

Grabbing my bag, I met him at the door.

"So, absolutely no hints?" I asked.

"None." He said getting the car door for me. "I am locked up tighter than a safe."

"Safe's can be broken into with a little effort."

"Not this one." He muttered as we pulled off in an unfamiliar road.

"Not even for one free massage."

"Nope." He said.

"I'll let you ride my motorcycle."

"I don't want to ride your motorcycle."

"C'mon Liam, what's it going to take?" I whined.

"It's a surprise Steffy. I'm not going to break." He smirked.

"Fine then, I'm not talking to you."

I glared when he laughed at me.

"Okay, would you like the radio on? It's a 20-minute ride give or take, so it's going to be a silent ride."

"Aha, so you admit it's not nearby, and my surprise is a place."

"I haven't given anything up Steffy. Most surprises tend to happen in a place."

"Ugh, shut up."

I couldn't give him the silent treatment though. It was too hard. When we pulled into a parking lot near the beach, and we started walking I recognized the place.

"Liam?"

"I thought what Dr. Marsh said last night was pretty smart. We have forgotten how to have fun, and I think this is the best place to try to remember. I know it's not the exact same. We're not on your motorcycle, and we can't really play volleyball, or run on the beach, but I figure we could still play some games."

It was the pier, where not so long ago I had taken Liam to try to show him all the fun he'd miss out on if he married Hope, but not long after Hope was forgotten as we took photos with plastic sharks, and hijacked random people's volleyball matches.

"This is amazing, Liam."

"Yeah?"

"Best surprise ever. Let's go." I pulled him.

And it was the best surprise ever. Liam won me a giant white tiger, and I had to return the favour, so I won him an even bigger yellow bunny, and so the competition began until multiple trips needed to be made back to the car to store are prizes. We argued, and trash talked each other, both knowing that all the winnings were probably going to end up in bean's room.

We spent almost the whole day. Liam indulged me in all my cravings to eat greasy deep-fried carnival food, and by the end of the night we were both exhausted and laughing as we got on the Ferris wheel.

I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Thank you for today. I think it was just what we needed. Maybe one day, we'll bring bean here."

He pressed a kiss to my temple.

I don't remember the car ride home. I woke up as Liam laid me on my bed at the Cliff house. I was tuckered out, but I still climbed out of bed to stop him before he left.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

I walked up to him, took his face in my hands, enjoying the free of the rough stubble on my skin and pressed my lips to his. He was shocked for a millisecond before his hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me in closer, our lips tangled in a desperate embrace.

I pulled free first.

He looked scared at what I might say, but he didn't need to be.

"Stay."

A/N: Sorry, it's a little late. Life got in the way, but here it is. Enjoy! Read and Review and let me know your thoughts on Friday's episode. I'm happy for Steffy, but I still feel like Liam didn't choose. Like he went back to Steffy because Hope called off the engagement. Obviously, I understand that he had already chosen her before all of Bill's interference, but I wanted to hear him say it to Hope, and he never did. I feel like the writers just gave Hope another way to feel like she's a bigger and better person than Steffy, and I feel like Hope and Brooke are going to use every opportunity to tell Steffy that Hope was the one who called off the engagement and act like Liam is only with her because of that.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Sorry! Late update! And super short chapter so fair warning. Enjoy!

 **Liam's POV**

"Stay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." She said, and then she pulled me into our old room.

I had a million questions. What does this mean? Are we back together? Are we dating? Are we going to get remarried? Part of me knew that this wasn't going to be everything I wanted. There were still major issues we hadn't talked through. I couldn't even bring up marriage without her flinching, but she pulled me into the bed, and wrapped my arm around her belly, and I let it all go.

I felt at home, no unanswered questions could change this moment.

And the next morning I decided not to let those questions bother me, either.

I woke up wrapped around the love of my life.

That's all that really mattered, right?

Whether we were married or engaged or starting this whole thing over from scratch, I loved her, and she loved me, and that was the most important thing.

I slipped out of the room quietly, but from the way she was snoring I doubt I could have woken her anyway.

Yesterday's surprise was great, but I never thought it would end the way it did.

Thus, today's surprise would need some extra work.

Steffy was supposed to be at work to give me enough time to set up, but considering it was almost 11 AM, she was still snoring, and Ridge had been pushing her to take some time off for some time now, it put a snag in my plans.

More specifically, the men at the door carrying large bouquets of white roses and huge, pink helium filled balloons did.

As they carried in the massive wrapped boxes inside, feet stomping heavily on the floors, I could only stand guard at our bedroom door, and hope she didn't wake up.

Snag #2 in the impromptu baby shower plan; Steffy's lack of female friends.

She and Hope were definitely a no go. Brooke was even worse. Ivy was in Australia, and they had issues that were beyond comprehension. Pam was great, her lemon bars were stacked beautifully on the dinner table, but one single person would make this look like a rather sad affair.

I suppose I could invite Ridge, Thorne, Eric, and Wyatt. Steffy had always been more of a tomboy anyway.

But selfishly, I wanted it to just be me and her because I had missed out on so much and now that I had her back, had them back, I didn't want to share.

Noise coming from the bedroom, had me quickly ushering the delivery guys out. I stood at my post in front of the door by the time she could open it.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Surprise." I said.

"What is all this?"

"It's your baby shower, sort of. I thought with all the drama that has happened in this family recently it might be better and less stressful if it was just you and me, but all the gifts are from everybody, and I'll play the chocolate diaper and swaddling games and whatever else with you."

Tears filled her eyes. "Liam, this is—"

"If it's too much, we can just have a chill day, eating too much junk food, opening presents and watching Bob Hope. Maybe we can cha cha cha."

"It's perfect." She whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Yes." She hugged me. "I love it. I love you."

"I love you, too." I kissed her. "Let's get started."

A/N: Sorry guys. I kinda fell of the map and this chapter is pretty short. I just wanted to give you guys a little something, but Writers block! Help me out. I know how I'm going to end this story already, but I feel like maybe they need a little bit more fluffy moments because everything has been so dark, except I'm blanking on ideas, so if you really like this story, and have a cute prompt that you want me to write in, just review and let me know and I'll try to keep updating. Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

A/N: Hi! It's been a while. You must hate me by now, but I have a new chapter! The new Hope pregnancy storyline just kind of kicked me in the butt and inspired me to write more. I guess I can only write when I hate what's happening in the show. LOL! Weird.

Anyway, I referenced the amount of times Steffy and Liam have been married in the chapter so feel free to tell me if I'm wrong, but there was aspen, and the first time she was pregnant, and then after Quinn kidnapped Liam and he broke of her marriage to Wyatt, and then the vow renewal after Sally and Bill and all that, which I'm going to count. If they get married again that makes 5, right?

I swear all anybody ever does on this show is get married and divorced over and over again. Why do I like it so much?!

Anyhoo, here is the new chapter. Enjoy!

 **Steffy's POV**

Things were going great. Almost too great.

The annoying fickle bitch in my head constantly reminded me that whenever things were this great with Liam and I, something happened to ruin it.

But I ignored her, for the most part.

I was happy to bask in the moment and enjoy where we were.

We were in the honeymoon period without the permanency of marriage, and I wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

That's why I ignored the little black box Liam carried around in his pocket. I changed the subject anytime he got too romantic, which was often, and I pretended to have to go pee whenever he knelt down to do anything.

He had moved back in, the baby's room was almost finished, and we had chosen a name. We were happy together, and I wanted to stay that way forever, just without all the paper work.

I mean, we'd been married so many times before, was there really a point in doing it for the fifth time?

This all came to head at work thanks to Cameron and his big mouth.

It was after a meeting, Cameron strayed behind as usual. I couldn't tell if he flirted with me because he was just a flirt or because he liked annoying Liam.

Usually, the muscle in Liam's jaw would tick as he clenched his jaw and just ignored him. It made me all giddy because he was still jealous even though he trusted me and never gave Cameron any attention. He just didn't want Cameron giving me attention.

But after the meeting today, Cameron struck a nerve.

"When are you going to lock this pretty lady down, Liam? I might be tempted to step in." He smirked.

And suddenly, Liam was shoving him out the door, slamming it behind him.

"What the hell, Liam?" I asked. "The last thing I need right now is HR coming down on me."

"Are we ever going to get married?" He asked, quite loudly.

"Keep your voice down." I glared. "The walls have ears. I think we should talk about this at home."

"You run away every time I try to bring it up."

"Well, why do you always have to bring it up?"

He frowned. "What?"

"Why does it always have to be marriage with you? What about the way we are now is going to change after we get married? We'll still love each other, we'll still be making a family together, we'll still be together."

"I want to share my love for you with our family, I want the world to know we're together and that we've made a commitment to be together for the rest of our lives." He said.

"If that's all you want, then we can have a press conference. Release a public statement. The whole world already thinks we're back together. We'll confirm it, and our family already knows that we're together. They know that we love each other. We don't need all the legalities." I shouted.

"You'd rather have a press conference than stand in front of a few people and have a ceremony. Why are you so against a wedding? I thought that's where we were heading when you asked me to stay that night."

"I did want you to stay. I've always wanted you stay. Are you saying that you need a marriage to stay?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying." He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. "I just thought we were past all this. I thought you were ready to move forward."

"I am!" I yelled. "We are."

"No, we're not. We're staying in place." He shouted.

"It's literally the same thing. After we get married, we're going to be just like you think we are now, staying in place. There is no difference, except if anything were to happen as we are now, we won't need lawyers to help us divide up our assets and all that other bullshit." I shouted.

"Nothing would happen, Steffy." He shouted back. "It would be forever."

"We thought it would be forever all the other times too, Liam." I walked over to him, running my fingers across his scruff like I always did to calm him. "This could be forever too, without all the drama if it isn't."

He pulled my hand away.

"I don't want half way with you. I want everything." He said, turning and leaving almost running into Pam.

"Are you okay?" She asked me.

"Yeah." I sniffed. "I'm fine, Pam."

"Do you want any advice from your Grand-Aunt?"

I sighed, flopping down into my chair.

"Sure, why not?"

"I think if you're going to give him a chance, if you're going to let him in, then let him all the way in. You're only hurting him and yourself. You can't keep thinking in what ifs."

"It's not what ifs, Pam. It's experience. All of my what ifs have already happened."

"You didn't go into any of those marriages thinking it was going to end. You followed your heart and married the man you love. You have a strong heart, just like Stephanie. You should listen to it. It's been hurt before, but it's still in there fighting for your happiness. I think if you trust it, you'll find it again."

"Thanks, Pam." I smiled.

"Anything for my favorite niece. There's lemon bars outside if you want some extra comfort." She smiled back.

"No thanks, I think I'm going to take the rest of the day." I said.

"Where should I say you're going?" She asked.

I smiled, grabbing my purse. "To follow my heart."

Liam wasn't at home, or on the beach. I thought of one other place he might be, but the little break I decided to take on the couch turned into a long nap. My alarm woke me up, after sunset. We needed to leave in a few minutes if we wanted to make it to Lamaze class on time.

"Liam?" I called.

"Liam?" I checked outside.

He didn't come home.

The pain in my chest was only trumped by the yelling of that annoying fickle bitch in my head.

 _You push too far. How long did you think he was going to stay? You can't blame him, but hey you got what you wanted. No marriage, no divorce, no annulment, no pain. It's better this way_. She said.

I wished I could've gotten her out or my head.

I wished I didn't listen to her before, because I was in pain now anyway. Liam didn't need to divorce me for that.

I could hurt myself all on my own.

I got into the garage and got behind the wheel of my own car for the first time in almost three months.

As I walked into the birthing center, I dreaded having to do this alone. It would be the first class I had attended without Liam, and I saw the looks the other moms gave women when they came in alone. A sad, concerned, pitying look that they all tried to hide but was very obvious.

Michelle, the birthing instructor, was a loud but kind woman. It always baffled me how she commanded so much attention and authority for being such a flower power, animal rights activist, for lack of a better word, 'hippie'.

"Steffy, come on in. You're blocking the door, sweetheart."

I glared at her.

Of all the women here, I was by far the largest, a fact that Michelle liked to bring up. I was giving, Chelsea, the woman pregnant with twins, a run for her money. It was a class joke for Michelle to measure us, and it was cute at first, when I was smaller than Chelsea, but at 7 months with her twins, and me at 8 months with my one precious girl, I was 3 inches larger.

Liam would always kiss my cheek and whisper, "More of you to love."

Especially when he thought I might punch someone.

"C'mon, Steffy, I'm sure you'll be more comfortable with your coach behind you." She said.

My attention turned to our corner, where Liam and I usually sat, and there he was.

Annoying Fickle Bitch: _What do you know? He didn't leave. Okay. I guess I trust him now._

As if I were ever listening to her over my heart ever again.

I walked over to him.

He helped me sit, taking his place behind me, his knees surrounding me, his chest warm and firm at my back.

"I'm sorry." We said together.

"You first." Again, together

"Jinx." I laughed. "It's okay. You go first." I chickened out.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to drive you. I went for a drive to clear my head and lost track of time." He murmured in my ear, giving us some semblance of privacy as the other couples shuffled in.

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have lost my head like that." I said.

"It's okay. I learned how to handle your attitude a long time ago." He smiled.

"What attitude? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nothing. You're not stubborn at all." He chuckled.

"Shut up." I said.

"Or bossy." He joked, coughing when I elbowed him in the stomach.

"Alright." Michelle started. "Phone's off from now on. If I see one, its mine till the end of class. Babies need peace."

"Yeah, that's why they cause so much chaos on their way out." One of the second time mothers muttered.

The class laughed as Michelle glared at her.

"Alright, ladies let's focus on our breathing exercises." She commanded. "Coaches what do you do?"

"Shut up and let them yell at us if they want. They are giving us a great gift." The men began to recite, the chorus echoing steady like drums. "We get them ice, hold their hands, do anything and everything they want."

She nodded her approval.

I stopped my breathing for a minute, shifting to look at Liam.

"You have to do anything and everything I want." I smirked. "I'm giving you a great gift."

"Anything you want." He smiled. It didn't quite reach his eyes, but it would.

"Okay." I leaned back as far as I could and brushed my lips over his. "Marry me."

He stared at me for a long time, before shaking his head. "You're not ready yet. It's fine."

"Shh. No arguments. Babies need peace." I said, turning back around for fear of Michelle scolding me.

"But…" He sounded confused.

"Everything and anything I want, Liam." I said. "I want this."

My pants continuing in rhythm with the others, as if I hadn't just taken a massive leap of faith.

"I love you, you know that?" He kissed my temple.

"You better." I said.

"After this," Michelle said, "Prepare yourself for the birthing video I promised. Natural birth is a beautiful process, bonding between…" She droned on as I settled deeper into Liam.

"I love you, too." I smiled. "And hey Liam?

"Yeah."

"As soon as possible."

A/N: Hope you like it! I improvised. I've never had a baby, so my Lamaze knowledge is limited to tiny over dramatic scenes of TV or movies. I was watching today's episode of B&B when I wrote this, and I was so proud of Steffy when she said our family is growing, and of course Liam, the ultimate flip-flopper that he is didn't look so sure about marrying her anymore. I'm so glad I fixed him in my fanfic. Not to toot my own horn, but my Liam is way better (insert evil chuckle). Hopefully, the writer's block is taking a back seat, and I can update frequently and complete this story.

Thank you for sticking with me! Knowing that you enjoy this story and want more really forced me to get cracking and beat this block, so thank you. I couldn't have done it without you. As usual read, review and enjoy!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with another one. Enjoy!

 **Liam's POV**

Chaos.

That's what followed her proposal.

Absolute chaos.

When she meant soon, she literally meant as fast as humanly possible.

With her due date approaching in three and a half weeks—on the 1st of September— there was a lot we needed to get done, and Steffy had decreed that the wedding would be in one week.

One week.

The rush was insane, and I told her as much.

She threw a pillow at me, and then very calmly explained, "I don't want to push it too close. I want us to have a small moment of marital bliss before she comes, and I want to be fully rested and just patiently awaiting her arrival, which means the two weeks leading up to the due date, I want us to be lazy and relaxed, okay? So, if that means that it's going to be crazy right now, then you're just going to have to get used to it."

Eric protested it was too quick to have him design her a new wedding dress. Fortunately, she had designed a beautiful white lace maternity dress in the Steffy's Girl collection that she was happy to use.

The wedding was going to be on the boardwalk; the Ferris wheel had brought us happiness before and it was perfect to mark our new beginning. But that venue on such short notice meant huge fees to rent out the massive tourist attraction for the evening and a whole bunch of paperwork.

We asked Dr. Marsh to perform the ceremony and she'd been happy to accept having already gotten her license from previous clients with the same idea.

The real drama was with the guests. Despite mending their relationship to tolerable work acquaintances, Hope and Steffy were still not completely okay with each other. Brooke was more bent out of shape than Hope at this point to be honest, so she was a hard no. Ridge, was beyond excited and had demanded to walk his daughter down the aisle, even though she tried to excuse him because of the tension it was causing in his marriage. Even R.J. had decided to come home, much to his mother's annoyance.

Eric and Quinn were coming, as well as Wyatt and Carter, and Pam and Charlie, but Rick and Maya politely declined.

The news of the wedding had divided the office once again into the Hope and Steffy teams. The usual teams I suppose, but it had created a tension that was almost impossible to ignore. Steffy skated along fine, wrapped up in her own bubble of our wedding and our daughter. She had plans.

Then again, team Hope had finally stopped blaming Steffy and all their glares and hatred were reserved for me.

Combine that with Lamaze classes, Braxton Hicks contractions, and Steffy's mood swings; it wasn't chaos, it was anarchy.

But I couldn't bring myself to care.

Everything I had been fighting for was about to be mine again.

I was getting my family back, and I wasn't ever going to lose them again. So, I took on chaos with a smile and pushed through, because when our wedding day came around, it was going to be the best day of my life.

And it was.

August 8th was the first peaceful day I'd experienced all week. Everything was done, all that was left to do was get married.

Ridge came over bright and early with the cavalry, they pushed me out of the door before Steffy could even wake.

I had to get fitted for my tuxedo, and she had to get ready.

I absolutely could not see her. Quinn and Eric made sure I stayed away, they didn't want even a chance of bad luck today.

I didn't put up much of a fight. I wanted today to be perfect, too.

I did start to get a little anxious waiting. The wedding wasn't until sunset, I had spent all day waiting, and I was getting a little impatient. The countdown had begun, in less than fifteen minutes I would be Steffy's husband.

I was sitting on one of the little white chairs, chin on my knuckles, when Dr. Marsh took the chair beside me.

"Are you excited?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's like waiting for Christmas. I wish it was happening already."

"Well, I've got some insider information. Steffy's here, and just as impatient as you are. We're all ready, so if you want to go stand at the altar, I'll give her the all clear to start walking."

"Really? Yeah. Absolutely." I said. "And hey, thanks so much for doing this for us."

"Of course." She said.

The eight seats filled up, four on each side. I stood at the altar, which was really just the edge of the pier, the railing decorated with white roses, overlooking the ocean and the sunset.

The song 'Can't take my eyes off you' by the Cary Brothers began playing, as I waited for a glimpse of my future.

I saw Steffy before she saw me. I caught a glimpse of white between the frozen yogurt and popcorn stand.

She had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment. I wanted to soak up every single detail. She was laughing at something Ridge had said, her hair falling around her face as she shook her head. There were little jewels and flowers in the mass of brown curls that she'd pinned up and braided, the rest of her hair fell around her shoulders. The dress was magnificent. I'd only seen designs at meetings, but the real thing was better than I could've ever imagined. It was an off the shoulder, sweetheart dress with intricate lace design. In maternity fashion, it flowed over her stomach, ending at her knees. The lightest blue lace overlay flowed down from just over her stomach to the floor, and as she walked towards me, the wind blowing against her, the train whipped around her, the blue overlay fanning out, pushing the dress against her belly, our daughter ever present and proud.

But, by far the most beautiful thing about her was her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes that sparkled with love, mischief and all the future adventures we were going to share.

"Hi." She said, after Ridge kissed her cheek and took his seat beside R.J.

"Hi, beautiful." I said, taking her hands in mine. "What do you say? You wanna get married today?"

She faked a sigh. "Well, only if it means you'll stop asking." She said, laughter erupting from everyone.

"You asked me." I said.

"Did I, though? Did I really?"

I laughed. "I missed you today. Let's never do that again."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Good." I kissed her.

"Alright, before we get ahead of ourselves here," Dr. Marsh said. "I think there's a few other steps before we get to all of that." She smiled. "I might be a little rusty, it's been a little while since I did this, but I think there's some stuff I have to say, and you have to repeat."

Steffy laughed. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Dr. Marsh said. "I'm glad you're eager."

She clasped her hands in front of her, addressing the audience. "As many of you may have noticed, I'm not a judge, or a justice of the peace. I'm not a loved one, or a close friend. My name is Ariel Marsh, and I have had the pleasure of working with these two on their relationship for the last three months. So, I don't have cute stories of how they met when they were younger, or how I always knew they would be together, but I do have this." She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. "In all my sessions, I take little notes, things I observe about the couple. Steffy here, caught me that first night—sharp as a tack this one—immediately wanted to know what I had written in my little notepad. Many times, I found her around that notepad, itching to open it and see what I'd written. So, I thought I'd share that with you today."

She unfolded the paper, and I watched as Steffy's attention snagged and caught on her. Her curiosity bubbling over.

"I don't need to remind anyone of their past situations. You all know the place they were in when they first came to see me, and even then, I could see it, and I wrote on this little piece of paper: tethered."

She showed us the paper, and there in her handwriting was a single word.

"It means to be tied, connected to something or someone. Restrained from drifting too far from your tie, bound together by something greater than you are. In my line of work, I see a lot of couples come in, struggling to make it work. It makes it hard to believe in destiny and soulmates, but on that first night, I believed in it again for the first time. I saw a couple tethered to each other by a love that was pure and passionate and strong. They had drifted from each other, but that tether kept them together. And in the first session I watched as you tried to pull away because of fear and pain, and I watched that tether pull you back in. I watched them fight it and steal glances at each other, and I had faith. I knew back at that first session that you would end up here again, and not just because of a destiny that you couldn't fight, but because of a love that you fought for, and worked to maintain."

Steffy nodded, smiling as happy tears spilled over and onto her cheeks. Tears I quickly wiped away.

"And as I stand here today, about to marry you, I know there is no better love than the one you two share. It is a love that few people ever get the joy to experience, and a love that I know you will cherish and maintain for the rest of your lives." She smiled, clearing her throat. "I've had the pleasure of listening these two talk about their love, and I feel it's only fair that you get to as well, so we've done away with the traditional vows, and the bride and groom will share their own."

That was my cue.

"Steffy, you are the love of my life. I am more myself and more complete when I am with you and I can't imagine my life without you in it. When we're together, every breath I take is lighter, everything is electric, it's in technicolor and it's because I fell in love with my best friend. Our life together has always been amazing because you're the first person I turn to before I start a new adventure, and the first person I want to tell all my stories to. You're the one who talks me down when I'm angry and soothes me when I'm upset. Being with you has been my greatest adventure and as we are about to continue our adventure together, I promise to love and support you, to laugh with you and share your pain. I promise to listen and grow with you. I promise to dance with you and watch silly movies with you and let you boss me around. I promise to be the best father to our little girl and raise her to be just like her strong, beautiful mother. I will fight with you and make up with you and give you everything I have. I am yours, Steffy, body and soul, and I promise to spend the rest of our lives reminding you of that."

She raised our joined hands to my face, wiping my tears and pressing a quick kiss to my hands, smiling at me.

"Liam, my life started the day I met you. I knew I love you then, just like I love you now. Being with you has made me the person I am today. You have made me a stronger better person, and I have loved watching you grow into the man you are; the man that I love. I have been incredibly lucky not only to have found my best friend in you, but to have had my best friend love me just as much as I do him. You are my partner in crime, my partner in life and in love. You keep me grounded at times, and other times you fly with me. There is no one else I'd rather spend my life with or create my family with. It has always been you, and I promise that I will always cherish you, and listen to your opinions. I promise to raise our daughter with you and be the best mother I can be. I promise to laugh with you and share your pain. I promise to dance with you and watch silly movies. I promise, I'll try not to be too bossy, and to let you win some arguments. I will make up with you and share my life with you, because I have always been yours and always will be."

Dr. Marsh sniffed clearing her throat.

"Liam, do you take Steffy to be your wife?" She asked.

"I do."

"And Steffy, do you take Liam to be your husband?"

Steffy bounced on her toes. "I do."

"Then by the powers vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You—"

Steffy leaped forward, her lips catching mine, in our best first kiss as husband and wife. She smiled into the kiss pulling back, "It's nice to see you again, husband."

"Likewise, my beautiful wife."

I lifted her up, spinning her as she laughed.

"May I present to you, Liam and Steffy Spencer."

Our entourage cheered, congratulations were shouted, but as I held my family in my arms, crying and laughing as we watched the sun disappear beneath the horizon, I couldn't hear a damn thing, except Steffy's laugh.

It was loud and beautiful and just plain, happy.

A/N: We're coming up on the end of this fanfic, kind of bittersweet for me, the end of my first fan-fiction. There may only be four or five chapters left, but good news now that I have a plan and no more writer's block, I'm going to be updating frequently again, so once again thanks for those who stuck it out, and to the readers who love this story. Your response has been amazing!

In this chapter R.J. made an appearance, just because I feel like sibling relationships are very important even when both your sisters aren't cool with each other. I don't really like the lack of family support I've seen in the show, especially where Steffy is concerned. She really only has Ridge, because Taylor just comes and goes, and Thomas is always too wrapped up in his own love life. So, I wanted to give her a little extra family.

Thank you so much for reading, your response truly has been amazing, and until next time.

Read! Review! Enjoy!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

A/N: I'm back with another one. Super nervous about this one but enjoy!

 **Steffy's POV**

"You ready to lose, husband?" I squinted at him.

"Not a chance." He said, shaking his head.

"You're really not going to let me win?" I ask, doing my best to look sad.

"Nope. Bring it on, Steffy."

"I guess they're not going to have a first dance, huh?" My grandad muttered to Quinn.

"I heard they'll be cake." She whispered back.

"You ready?" R.J. asked. "On my mark. One, two, three, Go!"

The water guns blasted, mine directly on target, but Liam was still winning. What the heck? Was my gun faulty? Well, guess I was going to have to even the odds.

"Hey!" Liam yelled. "No cheating!"

"What?" I smiled. "I'm not doing anything." I laughed, as I held his gun off the target.

Ding!

"And the winner is… a Mrs. Steffy Spencer." Ridge announced.

"I'll take the big tiger, please." I told the operator. "And a kiss for the loser." I dropped a kiss to Liam's lips.

"Enjoy your tiger, but I'm done playing clean. Watch your back, baby." He said, holding the giant tiger for me.

"Hey, don't be a sore loser." I said.

"Only if you promise not to be such a cheater."

"I didn't—"

A ripple of pain gripped me, and fudging hell, it really hurt. I reached behind me, rubbing my back.

"Hey, are you okay?" Liam asked, dropping the tiger and holding my waist.

But the pain only lasted a few seconds and then it went away.

"Yeah." I said, when the pain ceased. "I'm okay."

"You sure?" He asked, concerned.

I smiled. "Of course, you goof. I'm fine. It was just Braxton Hicks. What's next?" I said, moving on.

He stared after me.

"Oh, you know what I was always good at. That ring toss game." I smiled, turning back to run my hand over his cheek. "I promise I won't even cheat." I rolled my eyes at the look on his face.

"I will tell you if it happens again. I promise. But right now, I really want to kick your butt at all these games at our reception."

"Fine." He grumbled. "But as soon as it happens again."

"I promise."

I won at Ring Toss, but he beat me in the bottle tower game. I won at basketball, but he won at Whack-A-Mole.

"Want to make this interesting?" I said, when we took a break to eat some cake.

Grandad and Quinn had gone for a walk on the beach, and Ridge had gone off to play their own games. It was just us and the stars in the sky. Well, and the game operators, who at this point were either beyond amused or annoyed with us.

"What did you have in mind? "He asked.

"Well, how about if I win the next game, you owe me one favour, whatever I want?" I said.

He crinkled his nose in confusion. "I do that for you anyway."

"Yeah, but I can cash it in whenever I feel like it, for whatever I want." I smiled.

"This is started to sound more like extortion to me." He glanced at me sideways. "And if I win?"

"Same thing." I said.

"Okay, you're on." He said. "But it has to be something we're equally bad at, deal?" He put out his hand.

"Deal." I kissed him. "Let's go."

We chose the fishing hole game, which was torture. We were horrible at it. I was about to give up, when I knocked into the booth, drenching myself in the water.

"Okay, time out." I said. "I spilled, and I'm pretty sure my fish is going to die."

"No, ma'am." The operator said awkwardly. "It's coming from you."

"What?" Liam asked. "Are you in any pain? Should I call for an ambulance?"

Liam gripped my waist walking me over to sit at one of the tables.

"Actually, I'm fine." I said. "I heard it could take a few hours. Maybe we could go to the hospital though. You can drive."

"Okay. Okay. I parked a little way back when I got here, so maybe you stay here and I'll go get the car, unless you think you can walk, but it's pretty far so you should probably stay here. Um, don't move, or try to make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in like 5 minutes. Everything is fine okay." He kissed me, quickly. Once, Twice. "I love you and it's going to be okay, I prom—"

"Liam stop talking. I'm fine. I haven't had another contraction since the first one. I can walk to the car. I just need you to calm down, okay?"

"Okay."

So, this little girl was in a rush, a big one. I had my first contraction in the car, and by the time we got to the hospital, they were twenty minutes apart, and to be completely honest, I was terrified.

Dr. Phillips was my new favourite person, she had the drugs. I didn't take them. I just liked knowing that they were there if I decided I wanted them.

"How are my two well-dressed patients doing? Steffy, how's your pain right now?"

Liam squeezed my hand.

"It's like a 4." I said. Liam glanced at me, raising his eyebrow. "Maybe a 7."

"Have you changed your mind about an epidural?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No, I'm okay."

"Is she ok?" Liam asked. "The baby, it's not too early."

"This close to the due date, it's not usually a cause for any concern. We are going to monitor her closely, but for right now, I am optimistic."

"You hear that, everything is going to be alright. I promise." He pressed a kiss to the back of my hand."

But everything was not alright. Whatever rush our baby had been in earlier had stalled. The pain felt like it was splitting me in half, and she still wasn't here, almost four hours later.

"Why isn't she here, yet?" I cried, as Liam pressed a cool towel to my face.

"I don't know." He murmured. "But you're doing great."

"How are we doing?" Dr. Phillips entered.

"We've been better." Liam said.

We've been better! This was torture, actual physical torture, and I was ready to move this along. Last time she'd checked, I'd only been dilated five centimetres. Five!

It couldn't possibly go on any longer. I couldn't take anymore.

"How much longer?" I asked when she did the examination.

"Sorry, a little bit more. You're at a seven right now."

I was crying by then. I wasn't sure if it was from the contractions or from frustration at the thought of having to wait even longer. I just wanted to be done with this part. I wanted to hold her already.

Why won't she come out?

"I don't know, sweetheart." Liam kissed my temple, I guess I'd said that out loud. "Can I do anything to help? Ice chips? Anything?"

I shook my head.

"Just be here."

"Are we still no on epidural?" She asked.

I nodded, groaning and squeezing Liam's hand through another one.

"You sure?" Liam asked.

"Yes! Stop asking me!" I yelled. "Sorry."

"It's okay." He smiled. "I'm here for you. Whatever you want."

"Tell me a story, any story just distract me." I said, voice hoarse.

"All I can think of right now is sleeping beauty for some reason. I don't know why Sleeping Beauty." He grimaced.

"Just make something up, then." I pleaded.

"Okay…um—Okay. Did I ever tell you the story of a little nerdy guy that met the most beautiful woman one day when she was having computer trouble?"

"No." I smiled breathing through another contraction. "I like that story. Tell me that story."

"Well, he thought she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, and despite many obstacles, they fell in love, and that love has never faded." He pressed his forehead against mine. "It remained strong through everything they ever faced, and they got married, and now they're going to have a baby." He smiled. "And you know what?"

"What?" I asked, exhausted.

"They're going to live happily ever after with their little girl, and maybe a puppy, and in a couple years, a little sibling for her to boss around."

I groaned, as another contraction hit.

"I can't believe you're thinking of having any more of kids right now." I said, when the pain subsided.

"When you hold her in your arms, all of this will disappear." He said. "You're going to be such a great mom, and we'll grow our family. We'll watch them grow up and have children of their own. We'll be the proud grandparents with lots of grandkids running around, and we'll spoil them, and give them everything they want until our kids get mad at us."

"Grandkids?" I laughed. "We have to get through this first."

"We'll get through it." He said. "And I promise in 40 years, that picture in my head is going to reality. And we'll be sitting beside each other all old and wrinkled, and you'll owe me five bucks because it would have come true. We'll get through everything together."

I nodded.

And that's the picture I held on to when the next contraction hit, and every one that followed after. I let those images dominated my thoughts and laughed at the irony that the positive thinking I had previously scoffed at in Lamaze class, was the one thing that was keeping me going.

I thought of the first time I got to hold her, and the first time she squeezed my finger. I thought of her first steps, and the first time she called me mama. In my head, she'd said mama first, which drove Liam crazy competitive into trying to get her to say dada. I thought of the little clothes I would put her in, and if she were anything like me, what a tomboy she'd be, who'd rip all those pretty clothes to shreds when she played too rough.

I looked forward to hearing her laugh and clap her hands, and even having her throw tantrums, because that would mean she was there with me and Liam, and was spirited and stubborn and giving us hell, and I couldn't wait.

I held on to those images as Dr. Phillips commanded me to bear down and push at his contraction, as I squeezed Liam's hand while he coached me through.

Over and over again, until finally a sweet sound broke through the fog, and I didn't have to imagine anymore, because finally she was here, and she was loud. At 4:53 AM on August 9th, our baby girl was born.

Dr. Phillips held her up, placing her in my arms, before busying herself with whatever.

It didn't matter, because she was here, and everything else faded into the background.

She was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen, so small and all wrinkled, tiny black hairs matted down. Her face red from all her screaming, but she was perfect.

I memorized her little features, her tiny button nose, and he pursed plump lips, my lips. I ran my finger over the shell of her ears and the arch of her tiny little brows.

"She's perfect." Liam said, kissing my forehead. "Thank you for her."

"We made her." I said, distractedly. "We made someone, a whole other person, so gorgeous and amazing." I said quietly as she calmed. "I can't believe we did this."

We stared at her for what felt like a minute, but had actually been almost fifteen, before Dr. Phillips took her.

"Go with her." I demanded of Liam, and he followed to the other side of the room, watching intently as they cleaned her, weighed her, checked her Apgar score, and Liam carried her back to me in a fresh diaper, and the softest white blanket, her little hat on her head that red 'the favourite'.

"Congratulations Mom and Dad. You have a healthy baby girl, at 8 pounds 3 ounces. Her Apgar score is excellent." Dr. Phillips said.

"Fat baby." Liam smiled.

"Fat baby." We fist bumped, careful not to jostle. "Boom."

Dr. Phillips laughed, and I glanced down at a pair of eyes that matched mine. Liam ran his finger over her little palm and she latched on.

We gasped. Nothing had ever been as special or precious than that moment.

"Does she have a name?" Dr. Phillips asked.

We smiled.

"Meet our daughter." Liam said. "River Cayden Spencer."

A/N: I hope you like it. For you OTH fans out there, I hope you saw my little reference. For any Grey's anatomy people out there, I put a little something in there for you, too. And what do you think of the name?

I was nervous because I had to do a lot of research for this, having never had a baby myself or even seen my mother go through it being the last, it was super hard for me to write this scene in a way that felt true and real.

When writing the wedding reception, I wanted it to be unorthodox and untraditional because they've done it so many times before. It's funny thinking about how many different wedding anniversaries they must have. It would be funny if they remembered and celebrated all of them, LOL! Anyway, went a little of track there, I hope you guys enjoyed it!

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement! Until next time :-)


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

A/N: So, just as I'm finishing one I got an idea for another STEAM fan fiction, probably longer and definitely more of a slow burn than this one. I'll leave the summary at the end of this chapter and if it sounds like something you guys are interested in reading let me know.

Here's the final chapter! I'm kind of sad its ending, but proud that I finished the story! Anyway, Enjoy!

 **Liam POV**

"We have to be quiet, okay River?" I said, gently rocking her as she stared up at me with unfocused blue eyes. "Mommy's sleeping, and we need to let her rest for a while. You really tuckered her out."

She wasn't crying. Since her first cry, she'd been in a much better mood, and vocal about it in her gurgles.

"The books said you were going to sleep most of the day." Other than a little nap when Steffy first fell asleep, she'd been awake for the last three hours, and I was doing all I could to keep her from waking her mother. "You're already a rebel."

Steffy was sprawled out on the bed, her head leaning off the pillows slightly. Her face was still a little red from all the pushing and screaming, her hair no longer in the pretty curls from before, but straight, matted down against her face.

She looked tired, my sleeping beauty.

River was oblivious, as she stuck her fist in her mouth, humming.

"Do you remember daddy's voice?" I asked, she stopped humming. "I tried to talk to you every day when you were still inside mommy. I wanted you to know me, and to know my voice. To know that I'd always be here for you. I'll always be your safe place. I promise."

I had taken to pacing when I held her, she seemed to like it more than when I sat, but I got her to be really quiet when I did it in a square. Or maybe I was tired and imagining things.

"I'll be here even when you don't need me anymore. When you get big and strong and brave. And I know you'll be brave, because your mother is the bravest person I know." I said, adjusting her little hat.

"That's why we gave you your name. River Cayden Spencer. We had reached a stalemate in the big decision about your name, River and Cayden were both on the list, but so was Paris. At first Paris started out as a name Carly gave your mom, for no real reason except it was a different length than Penelope or Jo. But as time passed, your mom started to love it, just like she loved Paris. It had been her escape in hard times, and she knew whenever she faced anything hard again, she'd always find happiness and escape in you. It meant a lot to her. It reminded her of Aspen, too, our little guardian angel in the sky."

She stared at me, blinking not looking any closer to sleep.

"The thing is, Paris is beautiful. When we lost Aspen, Steffy was able to find a way to move on there, but it meant leaving me behind. Most of the times she'd gone to Paris was usually to escape some pain that we were facing, or something I had done."

I smiled down at her. "Daddy makes mistakes sometimes."

She grasped my finger in her hand.

"I didn't want your name to be a reminder of sadness, even in reference of finding joy again after sadness. I wanted Cayden. It was originally on your mom's list. She was very much in love with the idea of you rocking a boy's name."

"Cayden means warrior. I thought it was very fitting considering how much we fought to be together, and how hard your mother fought to be able to have you. You were born of a fighter, and we knew that strength would flow in you. But we wanted you to have a name that was solely yours, one that was unique and uncommon, so we settled on Cayden for your middle name."

I remembered being one of three Liam's in my class, it didn't bother me much, being referred to as Liam C., to the others, Liam F. And Liam K., but I knew our daughter would be one of a kind and I wanted her name to represent that.

I was looking through our old photo albums when I came across a picture Steffy and I had taken in Aspen. We were looking for Katie, after she had left Will because of her postpartum, and we were basking in Will's cuteness. We were just dating, but it was at that trip that I brought up having kids.

"A little girl." Steffy had said when we were lying on the bed. "I can only handle one boy at a time."

Later, on that trip, we went for a walk and stumbled across a river, flowing steadily between the trees, and took a picture.

"So, I offered the name River again. It had been brought up in passing in our little Veto game, but now it was up for serious consideration, and your mom wasn't convinced. I had to sell her on the name."

Her brow puckered on her tiny wise little face as if she were asking, 'what the heck?'

"Yeah, I know right. River is an awesome name, isn't it? But I had to convince her. It was a beautiful tribute to Aspen in the same way she thought Paris could be, and I showed her the picture, how happy we looked with the river streaming along behind us, but she wasn't sold yet."

"No." I shook my head.

"It wasn't until late into the night that I realized why I love the name so much. When I woke her up, I thought she was going to punch me." I chuckled at the memory.

"The river was us, our love. It was constant and flowing, sometimes it was choppy and rough, and other times is was steady as a beating drum. In the path of a rock, the water would drift apart, but it wouldn't disappear, and when it flowed past that point it came together. The river's always changing, always flowing, and even in drought when it might dry up a little, all it took was a little rain to give it back its strength. Our love had been rough and steady, we had drifted apart, and sometimes it looked like we might dry up, but we always came back together. We always got back our strength." I said, my voice quieting as her little eyelids fluttered.

"You are our strength. You are our love. And every day we'll look at you and say your name and be reminded of our love and who it created."

I was whispering then, as I walked over to the bassinet, gently placing her inside, careful not to wake her.

I collapsed into my chair beside it, sleep pulling be under.

It was a rustling that brought me back some awareness.

It was a nurse.

She was handing River to Steffy, saying something about proper positioning and latching that I was too tired to listen attentively to. I cracked my eyelid, and Steffy sat awake in the bed, River in her arms.

The nurse congratulated her on a good latch, asked her if she was comfortable as Steffy ran a finger over River's cheek nodding.

"I heard your dad telling you that he came up with your name. Most of it was true, except for that beautiful part in the end when he realized the river was us. I actually came up with that part. Let me tell you what really happened."

I smiled, eyes falling shut. I was too tired to protest.

"So, when I woke up the next morning and told him all of what I'd dreamed, and he said he'd woken me up last night and said that to me…"

I had woken her up, she'd just been too tired to remember it properly.

But I'd let her win this one, just for now.

I shut my eyes, welcoming the blackness of unconsciousness.

I didn't even hope for nice dreams.

Nothing could top my reality.

THE END.

A/N: There it is. The final chapter. I hope you guys like it. I really enjoyed writing this story, and the last chapter was a little short, but I didn't want to force more words into a story that I felt was done. I just wanted to end on a less dramatic note and give insight into the beautiful name.

Who knows, maybe down the line, I'll write an epilogue or two, of just little snippets of their life together.

Thanks so much for reading!

Anyway, I did start something new based off of episode 7881, so the episode that aired yesterday (June 13th). The story starts with this episode, so Hope is pregnant, Liam has zero backbone and absolutely no mind of his own, and Steffy is kind of defeatist but holding on to faith, and it's going to be a spinoff from that episode.

Here's the actually summary, and if you want me to post this then let me know and I will.

Summary: AU based off of episode 7881

Set After Liam tells Steffy that Hope is pregnant and that he wants to wait to get married. Steffy is tired of Liam's indecision and makes a decision of her own; to do the best thing for her and her daughter. But will everyone agree on what that is? And will Liam let her go without a fight?

Warning: Very angsty, somewhat bitter Steffy. Possible other Steffy relationship.


End file.
